Finding Home
by dearjayycee
Summary: Harry comes into a surprised creature inheritance on the night of his 16th birthday. With it comes hope, love, and more family than he ever expected. His creature status changes everything, and secrets start to be revealed. His view on who he is and who he can trust is altered, and his eyes are opened to the true meaning of the war. All Male Harem, Memebers inside.
1. The Changing

AN: This fic is Cross Posted on AO3.

I don't own Harry Potter, but i do own the OC's in this fic. I really hope you enjoy it. The major thing to note is that Hogwarts starts at 13 in this universe.

Harem Includes:

Harry, Draco, Severus, Tom, Fred, George, Godric, Salazar, Blaise, Cedric, Newt, Neville, Viktor, Regulus, Credence, Percival, Oliver, OCs.

* * *

Harry woke with a jolt to the flash of lightning and the rolling boom of thunder. The rain beating steadily against his bedroom window, wind shaking the glass panes. He rolled over on his thin bed, bedspring digging into a bruise on his rib that his Uncle gave him the day before. The pain it caused felt like a spark of electricity shooting up his spine, head throbbing and breath stuttering until he eased his weight off the spot. His body was in such tremendous pain he felt nauseous with it, stomach threatening to hurl, and the pressure of his full bladder made his lower abdomen ache. Unable to sleep like this, Harry stumbled over to his window, as lightning shot across the sky once more. Harry worried over Hedwig since she was out in the storm, he made sure at the start of summer she would only come back for a few hours a day. He couldn't stand the thought of her being locked indoors as she had been in the previous two years. It was just too inhumane.

Scanning the trees, he saw amber eyes glowering at him from the ash tree in the backyard next door. Harry opened the window sheepishly after checking the street for passersby, though he doubted there would be any at this hour or in this weather. She sailed through the window, alighting on her perch with a disgruntled hoot and a shake of her feathers causing water droplets to spatter upon the plastic folding table under her.

Harry reached out to caress her, but she nipped at his finger before allowing it. His whole frame throbbed from the constant beatings he received from his Uncle starting the moment they arrived home. Well, Harry didn't consider it home. Vernon lost a significant client the day before school ended and blamed it on his nephew's freakishness without a second thought that it might have been something he had done himself. And with no contact from his friends so far, Harry was quickly losing hope that he would make it through this summer alive. He knew that Sirius couldn't contact him; despite this, Harry had still held onto the hope that since the man asked Harry to live with him, he would be protected and cared for, no one had ever wanted him before. The hope had been a small flame held close to his heart, but now it flickered more and more with every day that passed. Sirius couldn't take Harry in, but that didn't stop the boy from desperately wanting it. It had been three weeks since the end-of-year and more than likely his Godfather was still struggling to find someplace safe to hide before trying to get in touch. But he at least expected Ron and Hermione to mail him.

They promised him they would.

Ever since Harry arrived home, his family locked him in his cramped room, his trunk and wand in the cupboard under the stairs, which had been his bedroom until his thirteenth birthday when he received his Hogwarts letter. The sole reason his _doting_ family moved him into Dudley's second bedroom was that the thought of freaks spying on them frightened them.

After Harry's stunt last year with Aunt Marge, disappearing before his Uncle doled out any punishment had left the man to stew in his fury. Now with Harry back, Vernon was taking all that built up frustration out on his nephew's hide. Appearing daily to deliver a few blows, like an ongoing nightmare, sporadically beating him until he passed out. His Aunt would let him out once or twice a day to use the loo, but she frequently forgot. Meals were even more scarce, and this was also part of why he made sure Hedwig was out of the house so she could hunt. During the previous summers, he would divide the little amount of food he received with her, which never contained enough meat to keep her healthy. So this time Harry released her before they even got on the train, instructing her to only come home while his Uncle was asleep. When his relatives asked, he informed them she was staying at Hogwarts over summer vacation because she had broken her wing and that the groundskeeper had offered to take care of her. They were so overjoyed that Hedwig wouldn't be a nuisance that they didn't question it further. Harry had done this because he couldn't stand the thought of the only being to stick by his side through everything, starving to death. Or worse, Uncle Vernon finally going through with his threats to kill her.

Hedwig brought him rodents each night, dropping them by his head on the mattress, but he hadn't yet gotten to the point that he was hungry enough to stomach them, he just continued to encourage her to eat them to keep her strength up. The only reason he hadn't stooped so far yet was the fact he was able to hide a small expandable bag of food in his underwear when he changed from his Hogwarts robes into Dudley's hand-me-downs on the train ride home, along with his cloak and photo album. Harry hoped that what he received in previous years plus the small amount he purchased with the few sickles that remained from his shopping trip before school would allow him to maintain the weight he had gained while at Hogwarts.

He was wrong. They only deigned to give him food infrequently, always overcooked, cold vegetables. If he was lucky, he might get a piece of burnt toast. Plates showed up pushed through the cat flap in his door. He was sure it was the leftovers that Dudley refused to eat.

Harry earned Hedwig's forgiveness eleven minutes later and then moved over to the window to relieve himself on the rose bushes below. Rain splattered his face as he leaned out the window. A shaky chuckle escaped him at the thought of Aunt Petunia's face if she ever found out what he was doing, even if he would receive one hell of a beating for it.

Harry grabbed the empty water bottles he had squirreled away and held them outside, gathering rainwater to drink. There was no plate of food at the door, so he moved over to the loose floorboard under his table to retrieve one of the pumpkin pasties from his bag of food. Harry opened the wrapper, the almost silent pop of a preservation charm bursting disturbed the silence. Most wizarding foods had preservation charms on the wrapping that would last a few years, making it easy for Harry to stretch what he had without having to worry about anything going bad, he was immeasurably thankful for that. The last thing Harry needed was food poisoning. He nibbled on the pastry, knowing that if he ate too quickly, he would end up sick. But, as it was only the size of a deck of cards, it didn't take him long to finish. It would do him for the day. There'd been many days during his childhood when he went with less. He survived then, and he would survive now.

That's what he did.

Night was the safest time for Harry to be awake as everyone else was asleep, and since his Aunt wasn't forcing him to do chores during the day, his circadian rhythm had reversed. He continued to watch the lightning strike as he helped Hedwig preen, gently scratching at her pin feathers.

He soon calmed, his body still trembling from the pain but the storm and Hedwig's presence stilled his racing thoughts. The longer he stood, the stronger his pain grew. Giving in, he crawled back onto his bed, no blanket or pillow to help comfort him, just Hedwig resting her head against his neck.

* * *

Harry startled awake to the sound of the locks on his door clicking open. Sitting up stiffly he watched the door, after the beating he received the evening before Harry didn't believe that it was his Uncle returning. The man usually gave him at least a day of reprieve after beating him so horribly it rendered him unconscious. A quick glancing out the window showed it to be mid-afternoon, and since it was a weekday, it was more than likely his Aunt. It never hurt to be on guard though. The handle finally turned, Petunia standing in the doorway, face pinched in a grimace as she took in his appearance and stench. "Boy, go clean yourself up, you're stinking up my house. And be back in your room in fifteen minutes, or Vernon will hear about it." She hissed out, venom oozing from her every word. It had been five days since she last allowed him to bathe, so his hair was limp and greasy, his skin tacky from sweat and blood.

Gathering up his bathroom supplies before stumbling out of his room, Harry hurried into the restroom downstairs. They long ago removed everything from it, his relatives hadn't wanted him stealing anything, so he couldn't just grab painkillers to help him out. He jumped in the shower, rubbing down his body with the unscented bar of soap before lathering up his hands and running them through his hair. Harry then opened his mouth so that he could drink as much water as possible while his hair rinsed out.

Once he was as reasonably clean as could be, considering the circumstances, he left the shower, wiping himself down with the ratty towel and then using it to clean off the fogged up mirror so he could look at the lashes on his back. They were red, angry, and swollen. One closer to his butt was a little yellow in one spot, showing signs of infection.

Harry sighed, wheezing towards the end. There was nothing he could do at this point, and his inability to reach some of the wounds on his back in order to clean them was a problem. But it was only two weeks and three days before his birthday and ever since school started someone always picked him up a few days after his birthday. Hopefully, the infection wouldn't get much worse before then. Harry could probably sneak a general healing potion from Mrs. Weasley's always fully stocked potion cabinet.

Knowing that his time was nearly up, Harry dressed, holding his shirt as far away from his back so as not to brush it against the lashes. He filled the water bottle he nicked from the trash with tap water and then grabbed the rest of his belongings before hurrying back to his room. The timer dinging just as he shut his door. He had cut it close, but luckily he was good at estimating time.

The locks slammed back into place, and Aunt Petunia shoved a plate through the cat flap before marching down the stairs. There was a piece of bread, an apple, and a plastic cup full of water. They never gave him fruit, so Harry found that strange, but he decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He happily picked up the plate and cup, nibbling at the apple, savoring it. It wasn't until attending Hogwarts that he could eat as much fruit as he wanted. He was sure the only reason he had ever eaten any before then was that the teachers basically forced his family to sign him up for the free food program in elementary school. The oranges, apples, and bananas they served at every lunch were always the best part in Harry's opinion.

After Harry finished the meal, he pushed the plate and cup back through the cat flap. That left him to his boredom in his room. He laid down on the bed, knowing it was best to sleep as much as possible, there was no need to wear himself out. He wasn't consuming the calories needed to do much, sleeping was the only way he could make it through the rest of his time here. And he read once that your body's natural healing was strongest when asleep.

Either way, the shower wore him out too much to do anything but sleep.

* * *

Harry stared out the window, it was dark, but Mr. Wilby was out walking his dog, so it was probably before ten. It had been three days since he last left his room. The house was quiet, and the car missing. It was typical for his family to leave him locked up in his room when they went out for trips, so it didn't surprise him. They probably went to the countryside to see Marge, and that was why he got the apple.

Hedwig sat in the nearby tree, glaring at him. But at least this time it wasn't raining. As soon as Harry opened the window, Hedwig swooped in. She perched on his shoulder, preening his messy hair above a spot on his scalp that had been aching since he woke up, she cooed, nuzzling into him.

Hedwig stayed attached to him throughout the night, and the longer he stayed awake, the more feverish he got. Shivers racked his body, sweat pouring down his face and back. It got harder to move, his body sore all over and the infection getting worse. Harry knew it was bad, and it worried him. It was two weeks before his birthday, and he didn't know if he would last. The last lash above his butt ached more than any, his tailbone felt as if it was trying to break through the skin, his vision growing cloudy.

The clock downstairs chimed. Straining to listen to it while locked in his room was the only way he could accurately tell time, and the melodic chimes had always soothed him. The telly or Dudley's screaming would often tune it out. But it was a pleasant sound, and the more chimes he heard, the closer to when he got to go back to Hogwarts and the sooner he would be reunited with his newfound Godfather.

The sooner everything would be different.

Downstairs the Grandfather clock struck twelve, and Harry leaned against the cold glass.

Harry doubled over onto the floor, curling as far into himself as possible, his body throbbing. He was dying; he knew it. All he wanted was to be safe, for his so-called family to disappear, to be loved, and cared for by someone. Anyone. He was drifting. The pain too much, the only thing he could do to get any relief was to move his head a little, so that his cheek lay against a cooler patch of wood. Tears were flowing freely down his face, and an inhuman cry ripped its way through him, magic lashing out and rolling off of him in waves, saturating the entire room as it wrapped around him, cocooning him in its warmth, almost like a hug. It was the only thing keeping him sane.

Harry didn't know how long it had been since he started falling apart, the only thing holding him together, was the cocoon of magic surrounding him. There was something next to him, like flames, part of the magic cradling him. It somehow felt loving, filling him with hope. Something he longed for ever since he could remember, something he wished to hold on to forever. Music was ringing through his body, causing him to vibrate like a plucked harp string, somehow telling him everything would be okay.

A boom rattled the house, but he heard nothing. Then the slamming of a door and heavy footsteps racing up the stairs, every vibration making the pain in his body worse.

Something wet hit his chapped lips, trickling onto his tongue. It gave him more relief than he thought possible.

Large hands moved his body, and he cried out. His eyes popped open, his world nothing but white fog. He was being cradled against a warm body, his magic lashing out, but before it could cause any harm, the burning being was once again able to calm it. Its magic, old beyond his understanding, sang to him, letting him know everything was okay - that everything would be okay. Harry didn't understand, _How could anything be okay?_ He knew he was dying. But even so, the singing continued to whisper promises of safety. The chest holding him rumbled as if someone was talking to him, but Harry heard nothing.

Something cool pressed against his lips, his gasp allowing a small bit of fresh water to fill his mouth. Once Harry realized what it was, he greedily tried for more, but whoever held the glass only let it slowly trickle into his mouth. Harry would have reached out to force more down his parched throat, but he couldn't move his arms, which felt like dead weight at his sides.

Slowly, but surely, he emptied the glass, then a vial pressed against his lips. It reeked, causing Harry to gag, but the hands wouldn't let up, holding the bottle there until Harry was forced to consume it. Harry recognized the taste of a pain potion and upon realization, gulped it down, thankful for the relief it would bring.

He floated away from his body, the feeling of someone's hands rubbing his belly anchoring him to reality as his eyes closed and his muscles went lax.

The fire and singing continued.


	2. Finding Harry

AN: I don't own Harry Potter, I do however own the OC's who will start showing up in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Bartok walked through the small town of Surrey, searching for a place to apparate. He had just finished a business meeting with a small coven of Vampires that lived in the area. The British Ministry was once again causing trouble for the creatures living in Britain. Bartok was determined to help as many of his fellows as he could.

The DuMone Coven he visited was accused of using dark magic on a muggle that lived next door. Being a well-known solicitor for creature's rights, he was called in to take the case. The Coven wasn't all that wealthy; luckily, there was a fund to help creatures in need. The fund was started after the Great Purge, part of the taxes everyone living in the other realms paid, goes towards keeping it filled.

This case should be an easy open and shut, as the muggle in question didn't test positive for any magical residue, let alone dark magic. And was, in fact, friendly with his Vampire neighbors. The Aurors in charge of the investigation had stated this themselves, but the Ministry was dead set on going through with this farce. All of this was just the Ministry looking for a reason to pass more laws to restrict them. Everyone involved knew it was a sham, but that didn't stop the bigots from trying.

Ever since the Great Purge, there had been a deep-seated hatred of creatures in Western Europe. France was the only exception since the Conseil des Ministres had always employed many creatures, unlike in Britain where they had stayed to themselves.

The only thing Bartok was enjoying about this case, as it left him with a migraine when he thought about it, were the clients. They were all lovely people, and despite their worrying situation, they still kept a steady sense of humor about them.

It was almost midnight as Vampires were mainly nocturnal since they had an allergic reaction to the sun. While they didn't burst into flames like myths would have people believe, the sunlight did blind them, and too much sun at once could cause permanent damage. They could also receive extreme sunburns from direct sunlight. That was why Vampires who didn't live in the other realms lived in places like Britain, which wasn't as sunny as other countries.

There were charms and potions that would allow Vampires to venture out during the day, but they had to be reapplied every hour. The Ministry made the potion illegal in Britain, and the charm would drain too much magic for the Coven to use often.

Walking helped calm Bartok down, putting his mind at ease with the simple action. Bartok looked curiously at the muggle houses; he had grown up with little influence from the muggle world, only having seen it in passing until he had become a solicitor. When he had first started his job, Muggle houses, which all looked the same, fascinated him. Most magicals preferred to show off their heritage and power with their ornate manors. Bartok understood that without magic, houses took longer to build and it was easier to construct whole neighborhoods with only a few differences between buildings. They also didn't have as much room as magicals did so there were fewer manors overall around the world, where even the poorest of magicals had large plots of land.

The meeting had not lasted as long as he had expected since it was just a check-up to see how everyone was doing. He spotted an empty alleyway and started towards it when light and heat appeared behind him, but before he could turn around to see what had startled him, claws grabbed the back of his jacket, and a vortex of flames pulled him away with the same tug that came with a side-along apparition.

He'd barely regained his balance before his creature side was roaring within him. Screaming to find and help the submissive who was in such great distress. Bartok looked up to see an ordinary house in front of him, but his Draken side was bellowing for him to move. He ran towards the house, but halted suddenly, a threatening tingle of magic jolting across his skin, eyes going wider. Black magical wards surrounded the house; knowing this, the situation was now even more dire. Hundreds of horrible possibilities ran through his head.

Panic was rushing through his blood, he could hear muffled screaming through the notice-me-not ward that stopped people from noticing anything unusual. He could only hear it due to his enhanced hearing from his creature side, and since he could already sense the ward, it wouldn't work properly on him.

Bartok studied the wards, their magic vibrating against his skin in a warning. He first tried to push back against them, but it was to no avail. Whoever had done this wanted no one getting in, and that worried him even more. There were wards on this house that no magical would ever think of using because it would harm everyone inside. Slowly stripping away emotional control and physical health.

There was no way he could take them down himself. Growling in frustration Bartok took a few steps back, wards settling back down. Bartok's creature roared in anger at the thought of leaving, but he had no choice in this. He needed to get his mate, Lyle, who Bartok was confident could dismantle the wards.

But before he could back away enough to apparate, flames burst into being. Sitting on the mailbox, glaring at him was a Phoenix. Bartok immediately understood this Phoenix was one of the submissive's mates or someone who cared deeply for the person inside. It was also the one to bring him here.

Bartok had never met a Phoenix before, so he bowed, not knowing the proper greeting, maintaining eye contact the whole time. "I promise I will come back. I can't take these wards down myself. However, my mate Lyle will be able to." Bartok stayed as still as possible, not daring to breathe, while the being eyed him, judging his truthfulness. The Phoenix, after a few seconds of tense silence, finally nodded and flamed back into the house.

Bartok sighed in relief, even though he was a Draken he knew Phoenix fire could burn anyone to a crisp if angered. What he didn't understand was why the Phoenix hadn't flamed the sub out, but could only assume it had something to do with the wards.

* * *

He apparated home, rushing from the entry hall upstairs and into the master bedroom. Bartok saw the curly black hair on the outside of the pile of bodies on the bed. He ran on his tiptoes to Lyle's side, shaking him gently, not wanting to startle him and risk waking everyone up. If it was as bad as he thought it was, he knew that everyone else would need to keep their energy up.

Lyle's eyes opened a sliver, looking confusedly up at him. He opened his mouth, but Bartok pressed a finger to his lips before motioning for him to get up. His distress must have shown on his face because Lyle was wide awake and quickly jumping out of bed, hurriedly putting on clothes. Bartok whispered to meet him in the entryway before rushing into Anna's office to grab her heavy duty emergency med-kit before rushing back downstairs.

Bartok grabbed onto Lyle, grip too tight around his bicep, as he apparated them away. The house was burned, like a red-hot brand, into his memory, so he needed no time to picture it. With a crack, they appeared, and before he said anything, Lyle was gasping and running towards the ward line. Out of all his mates, Lyle was the most magically sensitive, and it was what made him such a good curse breaker. Lyle's eyes turned a glowing red, his mage sight activated, as he jogged around the ward line, looking for weak spots. He jumped over the fences without a thought. He called out to Bartok, standing in the corner of the backyard. Bartok could smell the old blood that had soaked into the earth right on the ward line, making it weakest there.

They went to work, Lyle giving orders as they slowly made their way through the wards. It took a whole hour before they could make a hole big enough to get through. They had noticed many alarm wards that would alert the caster of their state. And the last thing they needed was to have whoever cast such dark wards coming to find out what was happening.

It was one of the hardest hours of their lives as their creatures were both crying out and trying to break free to help the submissive in need. A dragon and overgrown crow would be no help in this situation, and they needed to keep their wits about them.

With the wards finally down they both rushed into the house, crashing through the back door, both practically flying up the stairs. They found, much to their horror, a door covered in locks with a cat flap at the bottom and a paper plate and a plastic cup on the floor. Bartok was enraged, as one of his fears were confirmed. This submissive was being abused, he didn't need to know any more of the situation to be sure of that. He tore off the locks and pushed the door open, handle hitting against the wall.

They both jolted to a stop, the Phoenix was glaring at them, its face close to the submissive's, tears dropping on to their lips. There was blood, so much blood. The Phoenix screeched at them, not happy with them just standing there. Bartok rushed towards the two, throwing himself to his knees as he opened the bag. Lyle scanned the small bare room to make sure there were no more wards.

There was a snowy owl worriedly shifting from foot to foot on their perch. But other than that there was nothing but a rickety fold-out table, a wardrobe with one door that hung from an old rusty hinge, and stained old box spring with a thin mattress on it.

"Lyle, hold him up while I give him some water and a pain potion," his mate barked out. Lyle rushed to them, shifting the sub into his arms as gently as he possibly could. The boy screamed at the movement, but it was necessary; that didn't mean Lyle didn't feel horrible for causing it.

Bartok conjured a glass and used a quick _aguamenti _before feeding it to the young boy carefully. The boy was so small, and he looked far too young to be sixteen, but the ears and tail that had recently sprouted from his body proved otherwise. They were dark and matted with blood so it was hard to tell what color they were though he guessed they would be silver. Bartok could smell the musk of a fox on him, so he knew he was a Kitsuné.

They were both horrified that this submissive had gone through this alone. Usually, a whole family would gather around the one going through their inheritance and do everything they could to make them feel comfortable. People went through months of preparation for this day. But that was obviously not the case here.

Bartok tried to feed the Kitsuné a pain potion, but his newly heightened senses caused him to gag and turn his head away. Lyle cradled his head, holding it still while rubbing at his throat when the potion was poured into his mouth to get him to swallow.

The Phoenix had his head in the med kit, pulling out a blood replenisher before forcing it into Bartok's hand. He quickly gave it to the boy, the other being nodding at Bartok for his quick action. Lyle rubbed at the boy's too thin belly, ribs sharp against his hand.

The sub went lax, the pain potion knocking him out from the relief. Once he was entirely out, Lyle went to lift the boy only to find more blood on his shirt where it had been in contact with the youth's back. "Bartok, look at his back!" Lyle cried out in distress as he lifted the boy into his arms. "We need to get to Anna and Issy quickly!"

Lyle made his way out of the room, the Phoenix and owl flying over so they could each perch on a shoulder.

"Lyle, take him home," Bartok instructed, "I have to get photos of this place so I can build a case against these monsters. Make sure Anna does a full medical history exam on the boy! She'll know everything we need." Lyle nodded, rushing back to the hole in the wards they had made before concentrating on his three passengers before pulling them home.

* * *

Lyle landed in the entryway of his clan's manor, both birds being jostled by the landing. He hurried towards their healing room as he called out for their house-elf, "Tiptop!" The elf popped up beside him, keeping pace without a second of hesitation. "Wake my mates, tell Anna and Issy we are in the healing room. And tell them to hurry!" Lyle instructed the elf who popped away the second he finished speaking.

Lyle made it to the healing room, holding his small bundle in a sitting position as to not put pressure on his back or tail. The Phoenix and owl both flew off him, the owl to the desk to perch on the back of the chair they had there and the Phoenix down to the examination bed.

Two minutes later, his three mates rushed into the room, all in bathrobes. Anna gasped, racing to his side and using a switching spell to change into her healer's robes, Issy doing the same. Anna barked out orders, their last mate, David, retrieving potions while Issy removed the boy's clothes and cleaned the wounds while Anna ran scans. She started the medical history scan, casting at a roll of parchment and a quill. It scribbled away.

"Lyle, report," Anna commanded.

"Bartok woke me a little under two hours ago, somehow he had found a submissive in need. There were dark wards around the house, and he needed my help to break them. But there were too many alarm wards, so we had to make a hole instead. Right now Bartok is still at the house gathering evidence so he can build a case. I am sure he will call the Terradore Aurors once he gets his own photos. He also told me to get you to do the full medical background check," Lyle said quickly, as Anna motioned to the quill and parchment that were still writing away to show she had already done it. "We administered a level three pain potion and a blood replenisher before he passed out."

"The level three was too strong for his size, but with the pain he was in he needed it," Anna commented, distractedly as she continued her casting.

The Phoenix sitting next to the boy barked; they had paid no attention to him since everyone arrived. Lyle looked down before adding in, "Oh, and this Phoenix was feeding tears to the sub before we arrived."

"That might have been the only thing keeping him alive. It's terrible." Issy said, tears in her eyes. But she was stubborn and determined to keep it together. "I got his back as clean as I could. The lashes are all infected."

"His front side looks as bad as his back so we will have to levitate him until they all have a chance to heal." Anna looked the Phoenix in the eyes. "Can you move so we can get him off the table? Also, can we have more of your tears so we can mix them in with his potions?"

The Phoenix stared her down before nodding and flying over to the chair the owl was sitting on. David grabbed an empty vial and went over to gather the tears.

They levitated the sub a foot off the table, before casting gentle cleansing charms over him.

"Lyle, David, cast cleansing charms around the room. We can't risk his infection getting any worse. Get both the owl and our Phoenix friend too." Anna instructed. The owl in question hooted in indignation but allowed it before shaking out her feathers, going all puffy. The Phoenix didn't even flinch.

Anna cast a barrier charm to make sure the little Kitsuné didn't roll off the hovering charm. With that, she was finally able to start her work. She pulled the parchment with the medical history over to her, face growing grimmer with every entry. It was too long to read at the moment, so she skipped down to the last year's worth of injuries. She wanted to cry, but it would do no good now, she would save it until later when she was safe in her mate's arms.

Anna gathered herself together and got back to work. She used a dictation quill to take notes. "Young boy of Kitsuné inheritance. Blood on ears and tail show that he has just come into his creature inheritance, making it two weeks until his sixteenth birthday. The boy, however, appears to be ten. Height is 4 foot 6.9 inches. Weight is 68 pounds. The boy is emaciated, dehydrated, and covered with lashes, bruises, burns, and cuts."

Issy went to David to gather the potions and salves he had set out on a tray along with the tears.

While the two girls continued working, Lyle pulled David out of the room. Pulling the Werewolf into a hug, needing the comfort and warmth it provided. They stood there for a while, just comforting each other. David placed a kiss on Lyle's forehead before pulling away.

"I'm going to get some sleep while the girls work, the wards were complex. Will you come and lay down with me until I fall asleep?"

David nodded, taking Lyle into the bedroom before laying down and curling around the man as the Tengu wept. David rubbed soothing circles into the man's back, just as heartbroken, but for now, he needed to be the strong one. He could break down later, and one of his mates would hold him as he did for Lyle, making sure he didn't fall to pieces.

David left the bed as soon as Lyle was asleep, sliding a pillow between the Tengu's arms and one behind him before tucking him in. He headed back to the healing room, helping where he could while his mates worked.

They had already given the young boy potions to help combat the infection, broken bones, and starvation, and rubbed salve into his skin. They had added the Phoenix's tears to all the potions and balms. While it helped, it still wasn't enough to heal them all at once, it would still boost his healing factor. If they added any more tears, it would begin to have a negative influence on the potions. Since the Phoenix seemed to want to stay, hopefully, they would donate more. Anna was sure without them there would be permanent damage that couldn't be healed. Most potions with Phoenix tears in them only had one drop and were considered the best healing potions in the world. So having so many available gave this young sub a chance to be completely healthy with time and care.

They would have to vanish most of the boy's bones since they were broken or had not healed properly. They would cause problems later if not taken care of. Since the boy would sleep for much of the next two weeks, now was the perfect time to do so. The only bad thing about skele-gro was that it could only grow up to ten bones at a time. If more were attempted, they would turn out weak. Something Anna and Issy could see had already happened to the boy's right arm. Whoever had done this should be brought up on charges and have their medical license revoked.

It took hours for them to decide that they had done as much as they could.

"Are you going to stay and watch over him?" Anna asked the Phoenix, the snowy owl had cuddled up to his side, watching with sad eyes. Both birds nodded. David moved the chair closer to the sub so that the Phoenix and owl could be closer.

"Call us if anything happens," Anna told them. Once again, the Phoenix nodded, not taking his eyes off the young sub. Anna grabbed Issy's small hand within hers, David following behind them. "Come, Issy, I bet Bartok's home by now."

Bartok was in the drawing room, drinking a cup of black coffee with papers and photos surrounding him along with a trunk at his side. Bartok looked up, seeing how tired they all were. Anna sat next to him, resting her head against his shoulder while handing over all the notes they had gathered.

David sat down in the armchair across from them, and Issy dropped into his lap. Hiding her face in his pecs, tears running down her face now that she didn't have healing to focus on. David held her, running his fingers through her white hair. He couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. It was almost impossible for him to take, but Issy had always been the most sensitive in their clan. His little sub had always dreamed of the day she could start her own family, and to see a child treated this way was destroying her.

"How is he?" Bartok asked, putting his paperwork aside for the moment. Reaching down to hold Anna's hand in his larger one, rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.

They were an affectionate group of people, but this situation hit hard. They were all devastated. As they had all grown up in large loving families, children being hurt in such a way was unthinkable. Your home should be a safe place where you can be yourself without judgment. It was something they all believed in.

Anna sighed, breathing in Bartok's smokey scent. "It's bad, they have abused him since he was fifteen months old. The only times he has had any form of reprieve was when he went into school at thirteen. And even then he only had a small break. Someone bound his magic, his inheritance undid that, but the school work strained his core and the unbinding bruised it further. He also had a year of constant, violent, legilimency attacks that damaged his mind, a fractured leg that wasn't healed. And then a possession attempt. And all of this was in his first year. His second year was just as bad! He had his right arm smashed, and then whoever healed it tried to regrow the whole arms worth of bones all at once! That's sixty-four bones! Skele-gro can only handle ten at a time!" Anna was getting more and more worked up as she went on, she was almost hysterical at this point. Usually, Anna was the most level-headed out of them all, so to see her like this was shocking. How horrible this child's life had been tearing her apart. The fact she was utterly worn out didn't help.

Bartok handed her a calming draught he had taken a sip of to calm his anger once he finished at the Muggle home. She took it gratefully, taking a swig, capping it and then tossing it over to David and Issy.

"A hatched Basilisk also bit him, the fang went straight through his arm. The only thing to keep him alive was a large amount of Phoenix tears, which I am guessing came from our friend upstairs who is watching over the kit. Then last year he was exposed to dementors throughout the year, meaning he was at Hogwarts. He was partially kissed three times, and he broke five bones in his foot that were never healed. And all of this while going back to horrific abuse throughout the summers."

"The only thing he has going for him is that his inheritance broke the binds on his magic and that he will be asleep for most of the next two weeks, making it easy for us to heal him. Though he will be deaf for one week and blind until his birthday. He will be on potions for about a year to get him up to weight and to help with his height. If his Phoenix friend sticks around, it will go much better, and hopefully, with his tears, we can heal all the damage done to his body throughout his life."

"There is also some unknown magic surrounding him, it seems to be benevolent, but it's weak." Anna laid out all the facts as she knew them. Powering through the explanation and raising her hand to stop her mates from speaking before she finished.

Bartok growled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Someone will need to be at his side constantly. With his missing senses, when he wakes it will terrify him. Hopefully, he will sleep through most of the first week. It will be easier when he can hear our explanations. I doubt that will happen though." Tiptop appeared with tea for them all. "I will go to the Council tomorrow to petition for emergency custody of the young one." Bartok stood, pulling Anna up with him. "We should all go get as much sleep as we can. We are very fortunate that the Phoenix is willing to watch over the kit. We need all the rest we can get for the coming weeks."

They all made their way to their bedroom, crawling into bed, cuddling up together. Bartok curled up against David's back, holding him as David let silent tears slide down his face.

* * *

Harry had been drifting with brief moments of clarity. Vials were pressed to his lips and potions filled his stomach. Comforting hands rubbing his skin, fire and music, silent but still ringing through his bones, was all he knew.

What felt like years passed when the veil of sleep fell away from him. His thoughts were still hazy, but he was surprisingly well-rested, something he hadn't felt for as long as he could remember. At home, he was always forced awake early, and he had always been in pain. At Hogwarts, Ron's near chainsaw-like snoring had interrupted his sleep or fear for his life because of the yearly 'adventures.' But now he was in no pain. His body felt as if it wasn't his own.

He nuzzled into the soft pillow under his head. Wait… pillow? The only time he had a pillow was at Hogwarts… He must be at Hogwarts, the sheets smelled clean and remembering the taste of potions lead him to believe he was in the Hospital Wing.

Harry remembered all the pain he had been in. He was just so happy that someone had come for him. And was forever thankful to Dumbledore for bringing him into the wizarding world and treating him like a grandchild.

Harry remembered his family leaving, and his fever and infections getting worse. He also recalled a sudden and all-consuming heat and pain, then hands and potions. Someone cradling him against their chest. But most of all he remembered the flames and siren-like song rumbling through his bones.

Harry licked his lips, surprised that they were smooth, not their normal chapped. He also didn't have a dry mouth, something he always woke up with. The pressure in his abdomen let him know that he needed to use the restroom, so he reluctantly sat up, rubbing at his crusty eyes before opening them.

But something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

It was dark, but not just any dark. So dark he couldn't even see the outline of the hand he held in front of his face. This was something he had never experienced, not even in the dead of night when he was locked in his cupboard.

"What the-" He spoke, but almost immediately stopped. Harry couldn't hear anything. He felt the words rumbling in his chest and throat but nothing else.

He screamed.

Getting louder and louder until there was suddenly a large hand on his shoulder. The shock of being touched unexpectedly scared him so much that he relieved himself in the bed. Now frightened and embarrassed, he scrambled towards the edge of the mattress, hoping to find the side table so he could get his wand. But he moved too fast and didn't realize how close to the edge he was, and hit the floor hard. He continued silently screaming, tears running down his face. The floor wasn't stone, so he now knew this wasn't Hogwarts.

Now, even more scared he felt for the edge of the bed, crawling under it as fast as he could, not knowing anywhere else to hide.

Minutes went by, and he relaxed when the singing started again. He knew logically that he couldn't hear it, but it sang to something within him. It calmed him, as if saying everything was okay and Harry believed it without a second thought.

Harry reached for the source of comfort. His fingers came into contact with warm feathers. It was strange, Hedwig's were always cool, but this was more comfortable. The bird continued singing to him, getting him to scoot closer and closer until he was out from under the bed. The bird nuzzling into his face. Harry sniffled as a hand reached out to his. Holding it palm up before running a finger over it. After a few seconds, the finger started again, but it wasn't until the fourth time he realized the finger was forming letters. He paid attention to it realizing the finger was spelling out HI. "Hello," Harry stuttered out. Despite whatever the bird was doing to calm him he was still in an unknown place, with unfamiliar people. Not to mention he was deaf and blind.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, hoping that this person would help him. And since they hadn't hurt him so far and he felt better than he had ever felt before his nerves lessened.

The finger started again. TEMPORARY. "Temporary? This is Temporary?" His hand moved and soon found itself in contact with a face. He could tell by the stubble against his palm that it was a man. The face nodded. Why did they nod? Oh, temporary. He could live with this if it was only temporary.

"How long?"

TWO WEEKS

"Am I going to be okay?"

The head nodded once more, and questions ran from his mouth, "Who are you? Where am I? What-" A finger pressed against his lips. Harry understood. He had asked too much too quickly to be answered. They took his hand up once more before they spelled SAFE out.

"Am I still at my relatives?" Harry asked. They placed his other hand against their face again which shook. He relaxed completely now. He knew he shouldn't trust someone just because they had taken him from his relatives, but he couldn't help it. Harry was being treated like a prince here compared to what he was used to. There wasn't any pain wracking his body. He had woken up in a warm, clean bed, and they were even answering his questions.

"Who are you?"

LYLE

Harry had to think about that for a few seconds. "Lyle?" The man nodded to let him know he had pronounced it correctly. "Are we at Hogwarts?" The head shook. "Do you work for Hogwarts?" Once again a shake. It worried him to think about the answer to his next question. "The Ministry?" To his relief, it was a 'no' once again.

"But I'm safe?" The answer was a nod.

BATH? The finger asked.

Harry grimaced at the feel of his wet clothing before nodding shyly. They gripped both of his hands as they pulled him to his feet, and they shuffled along to make sure he didn't knock into anything. His feet hit the cold tile, after a few more steps they soon placed his hands on a cool smooth surface he assumed was the sink or something of the like.

The moment the hands left his body he panicked. He was alone; it was dark; he didn't know where he was. What if Lyle left him, what if he never came back? His breathing picked up, panic setting in with the singing that had kept him so calm before now gone.

Before it became a full-blown panic attack arms were wrapped around him. Holding him against a larger body, the chest against his face vibrating in what Harry would like to believe were comforting words. Slowly relaxing, his breathing evened out, Lyle led him to sit on a closed toilet before leaving once again. But this time there was only a small amount of time between the hands returning. Running over his face, gripping a hand or clutching a shoulder. He never went long enough alone to panic again, and he was soon trusting that Lyle wouldn't leave him without warning.

Soon he was pulled back up to his feet, handheld as a finger spelled again. CLOTHES. "Are you going to stay?" Harry asked both worried he would and wouldn't. He didn't like to be seen, but more than that he didn't want to be left alone in this strange new world.

His hand was brought up to Lyle's face, the man nodding firmly.

Harry reached down to pull the hem of his shirt over his head, but as he did, he felt something strange. Reaching up, he patted at the top of his head, he felt something furry; he tried to remove it from his hair, but a scream ripped its way through him. Harry continued to tug despite the pain, but it wouldn't come out, and his head was killing him. It was attached, what had happened to him? He was already a freak but now… he was even worse. Maybe his family was right. Perhaps they should have drowned him like one of Aunt Marge's runts.

His train of thought was cut off when Lyle gathered him into his arms again. Holding Harry's arms down at his sides. Rocking him from side to side as Harry cried, he didn't notice as they drifted towards the sink, only noticing anything other than the steady heartbeat under his ear when a vial was pressed into his hand. Harry sniffed at it and smelled the lavender scent that was a calming draft. He swallowed it down, allowing it to take effect as he relaxed into the warmth and comfort so readily offered to him. Soaking up all he could.

Lyle took his hand once again, spelling out SAFE before slowly moving Harry's hand passed his own body. His fingers brushed against something soft, Harry's hands reached out, grasping onto what he realized were large feathers. He moved from Lyle's front, fascinated by what he realized was a giant pair of wings.

Safe.

They were the same. Well, not entirely but neither of them was human. Lyle wouldn't judge him for his ears. Harry reached out, trying to find Lyle's front again. Lyle moved him, grabbing his hand and directing it to his backside. Harry's fingers came in contact with more fur, he pulled whatever it was around his body; it was a big, puffy, beyond soft tail. Even though he should be freaking out, the calming draft and how smooth it was, eased him as he clutched it to his chest, rubbing it against his face.

Lyle grabbed his hand again, OKAY? Harry nodded letting Lyle know he was put together enough to continue on to his bath. He reluctantly let go of his tail and removed his pants, but blushed at the thought of this unknown man seeing him naked. But Lyle had already seen him go through a few emotional breakdowns, and for Harry, that was far more embarrassing and intimate. Once he was bare, he grabbed his tail and wrapped it around his waist, trying to provide himself a false sense of modesty. Lyle grabbed his hand and spelled out RINSE FIRST before helping him step over the rim of a tub that had the shower running. It was a perfect temperature, and Harry revelled in it. The Dursleys had disconnected the hot water to the bathroom he was allowed to use, so it wasn't until Hogwarts he experienced his first hot shower. He had fallen asleep in the shower stall, and it was only Neville finding him an hour later that kept him from spending the whole night there. Neville had carried him to bed, helping him into his pajamas, then tucking him in. Even kissing him on his forehead, both their cheeks flaming before heading to his own bed.

Harry let the water run over his body as he quickly rubbed down his private area. After a few minutes, a hand reached in and touched his shoulder. Harry turned towards it, letting it guide him to sit down in the tub as it filled. Lyle must have poured something in the bathtub because the room was soon filled with the scent of lavender with an undertone of something medical. The water was soft, which was a weird thing to think, but it made it no less true. It was like liquid silk flowing over his body, feeling almost like his invisibility cloak. He melted into it, the only thing keeping him above the water was the hand on his arm holding him afloat.

After soaking for about half an hour, Lyle lifted his hand from the water. It took Harry a minute to realize that Lyle was trying to communicate with him. He concentrated as hard as he could, fighting through the haze of contentment, and finally understood after a minute, I DO HAIR. Harry nodded saying it was okay. And the moment the hands lathered the shampoo in his hair a weird rumbling in his chest began. He wasn't conscious of doing it nor did he know how to stop it, so he laid back and relaxed. Water was poured gently over his hair when Lyle was done.

They handed a soapy washcloth to him so he could clean his front while Lyle cleaned his back. After he finished, Lyle grabbed his hand once more, STAND. Harry did, water draining around his calves.

TAIL was spelled out before a large dollop of soap was placed in his hand. Harry got to work getting used to the strange feeling of a long whip-like length of bone surrounded by wet fur. It was very disconcerting, knowing he now had an extra limb to protect. Knowing that if the Dursleys found out about it they would cut it off.

After another rinse, hands were helping him step out of the tub, wrapping a towel around Harry's body while Lyle ran another through his hair, being careful to be gentle with his new ears. When he was mostly dry, Lyle replaced his towel with a fluffy bathrobe. He then sat him in a plush chair and dried his hair with warm air.

Harry was in an almost comatose state, not even noticing as Lyle guided him into putting on boxers and shuffling back into bed. A piece of toast with jam was placed in his hand which he ate on autopilot. Harry fell asleep sitting up, the last bit of crust still in hand, and he didn't even twitch as Lyle laid him back, cradling his head with a pillow. Nor did he notice as a potion was poured down his throat.


	3. A History Lesson

AN: Still don't own HP, though I do own any OCs. I hope you like the chapter, I would love to hear what you all think of it. The chapter from here will all be about this long.

* * *

Lyle sat back down on the couch in the boy's room, the Phoenix joining him. He was worn out, the worry he had felt from the moment the kit woke to when he fell asleep sapping out all his energy. He had just been glad that the boy hadn't been able to see his face, so he didn't panic more. The absolute devastation that the sub had shown when he realized he now had a tail and an extra set of ears had destroyed him. His thoughts had been practically written across his face. Lyle's wings had automatically sprung out, ripping through his shirt. His instincts screaming for him to wrap the sub up within them.

Make sure nothing hurt him, not even himself.

Lyle rested his head against the back of the couch, staring up at the white ceiling. He rolled his head to the side when the Phoenix next to him gave a trill. The bird was almost glaring at him. "Hey don't give me that look; I may not have known him long, but I already see him as if he were my own." The Phoenix gave a huff and started preening the feathers under its wing.

"Thank you for helping me calm him," Lyle said, going back to staring at the ceiling. He checked the time and realized his mates would soon be home. He, David and Issy had been taking shifts watching over the young sub since Bartok and Anna had full-time jobs, though they both visited often.

After a few minutes, everyone filed in, Tiptop popping in a table and chairs so they could eat dinner. They had done this for the last three days since they rescued the sub. They first talked about their days, getting caught up. Anna wasn't surprised that it had taken the young boy this long to wake, both the too strong pain potion and the healing his body needed to go through had kept him from waking.

Lyle explained to them how he worked out a way of communication they could all use until the boy's hearing came back in four days. After the meal, the table and chairs disappeared and Anna and Issy checked over the boy, rubbing salve into his body. He was coming along nicely, all his superficial wounds were healed and they were now focusing on his internal ones. The salve they were now using was one to reduce scars, it was mixed in with Phoenix tears to make it work faster. What this salve was usually used for was removing slavery brands. Each treatment removed a few micrometers of skin, forcing it to shed faster so that the scars fade faster until there was nothing left. The reason this salve wasn't more common was that it would cause the new skin to be overly sensitive to the point of extreme pain. That was why it was usually only used to remove slavery brands as the brand itself was a runic mark and without that mark being broken the person who placed it owned and controlled the one they marked.

The only reason they were using it on Harry, considering that his scars weren't life-threatening and covered so much of his body, was that the Phoenix had continued to give tears. Phoenix tears were so rare and expensive an item that there were very few potions which used them. It would have been impossible for even their clan to cover the cost of the quantity needed to cover eighty percent of the boy's body thrice daily. The tears made it so as soon as the salve stripped that top few micrometers of skin they healed back, skipping the painful weeks of healing between sessions.

Issy was chatting a mile a minute during the whole exam, talking about all they'd do together once the other sub was better. She didn't notice that all her mates were smiling gently at her as she ran her fingers through the boy's hair. They were all so happy to see her this excited again, it had been a long time since she had been this happy.

"She's quite the mother hen," Lyle mentioned to Bartok as they watched, Anna running a few more scans after removing her gloves.

"When the time comes, she will make a great mother, though I wouldn't be surprised as soon as the boy recovers if she doesn't ask to adopt him," Bartok replied, though there was nothing but fondness and the smallest hint of hope in his tone.

The Phoenix was perched on the headboard of the bed, observing everyone, still not trusting any of them with the young sub they all cared about. Bartok understood, at this point, he was almost a hundred percent sure that the sub laying still in front of him was this Phoenix's mate. If Bartok was in their position, he would do the same.

A lot had happened since they had brought the young boy to their home. Bartok had gone in front of the Terradore Council to apply for emergency custody, with all the evidence he provided they had immediately granted the Claremore clan full custody until the child was well enough to have a say. The muggles responsible for the abuse were being gathered up and taken into the Terradore Aurors office so they could try them.

The Council had decided that with the British Ministry's current view on creatures it would be better if they dealt with it. After the purges, most of the magical governments around the world had agreed upon the first Council of Terradore's request that all creatures, no matter where they were born, were granted full citizenship in Terradore. And since the young sub had gone through his inheritance, the Council had the right to try the muggles. They still didn't know the young subs name, but they were sure as soon as someone found the muggles they would know it. Bartok probably could have gone through the boy's belongings, but his life had been so bad that Bartok knew that if he did, the young sub's trust would be forever out of his reach. And with everything his clan was trying to do, that just wouldn't work.

Child abuse was one of the most major crimes in their world, all children should be treasured. The young boy would not need to go in front of his abusers again. Bartok, however, planned to attend every single part of the trial, promising himself they would come to justice.

Issy had insisted they furnish the young boy's room. It already had all the basics but Issy insisted on more personalized items. Before they could move him from the healing room to this one, they had changed the wallpaper to an emerald green that matched the sub's eyes. And when Issy came home from work each day with more and more accessories for the room; pillows, lamps, and even a new white oak bed frame, it was only David's logical speech about how it would mean more to the boy to pick out most of the things she wanted to buy himself that got her to stop. With how he had grown up, being allowed to pick out anything he wanted would probably overwhelm him at first, but being given such free rein would mean a lot to him.

They were hoping to adopt the young boy as they had all fallen in love with him. His indomitable spirit had charmed them all. But they would need to talk to him first, while they cared about him the young one didn't know them at all, and it wasn't fair to him if they were to not take his opinion into consideration. Right now though, the young boy needed to focus on rest and healing.

Anna soon had David sitting behind the boy, tipping his head back so they could feed him nutrition potions and a few others. He needed food to help him heal properly, but his stomach was currently too shrunk to get what was needed. And because he couldn't eat food it took longer for him to heal. The lack of energy caused him to sleep constantly, giving them few chances to feed him. It was an endless cycle they were fighting with an almost constant stream of nutrition potions. The Wood Nymph was determined to have the boy up and able to gain weight as soon as possible.

* * *

It was two days since the boy had first woken, he had been up for a total of five hours, each time eating before either getting into the bath for a soak or spending time with his owl, the Phoenix, and David in wolf form before falling back to sleep.

Bartok returned home after being called into the Auror offices to talk about the muggles; they had been found vacationing in the countryside. He was still in shock as he called Tiptop to gather his mates in the drawing-room to have a family meeting.

Once everyone arrived and had a cup in hand, Tiptop having delivered tea to the room, Bartok started. "The Aurors found the muggles today and started the interrogation." Everyone straightened out, all their focus on him as he took in a deep breath before continuing. "The young sub we are taking care of is Harry Potter."

All his mates startled, looks of shock appearing on their faces at the young sub's identity.

They all knew the legend of the boy, though they didn't believe what had been told to wizarding Britain. But that didn't matter - they were all dedicated to taking care of him and that was all they needed to know.

"But we didn't see his scar!" Issy interjected, shocked.

Anna sighed, "We didn't look for it, we were much more focused on the rest of his body. We probably saw it, but in the context of what happened to the boy another scar wouldn't have caught our notice." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "There was also the fact that the legend says the mark is from a killing curse. If it had shown even the slightest hint of dark magic, we would have noticed it automatically."

"There is something else we need to discuss," Bartok spoke up. "Somehow the British Minister has found out we have custody of the boy. He is demanding we hand over custody to him until he can approve of another family." Because Harry was a dual citizen, the Minister had no right to demand that of them. But, since they lived in Britain and Bartok worked in both Britain and Terradore, they had to tread lightly with how they approached the situation.

Bartok however, was very concerned about how the Minister had found out, and he would investigate the whole situation. He wasn't currently taking any new clients until the situation with Harry was sorted so he could focus as much of his energy as possible on him.

Bartok was even more worried that the staff at Hogwarts hadn't known about the abuse, and if they had, that they did nothing. The boy's escapades were well known amongst the magical population of Britain. It was also well known that Harry spent a fair amount of time in the hospital wing. Bartok, now knowing who the young sub was, had even more questions. Like who the boy's magical guardian was, which no one he had asked before arriving home seemed to know.

Since their clan held custody, he could go to the Goblins to see if they knew who the boy's guardian was.

Lyle spoke up, "This is going to be a shit show, isn't it?" Everyone nodded in reply.

"I'm off to bed, I need to be up early to go to the bank to speak to the Goblins," Bartok stood before giving a hug and kiss to all his mates before heading out of the room.

* * *

Bartok arrived home before lunch the next day, fuming. It felt as if the fire that was always crackling away in his chest had just had gasoline thrown upon it. It seemed as if the Potters' wills were never opened and that Dumbledore had sealed them. It was extremely illegal to take part in any form of Will tampering.

His hatred towards the old man grew by the second. Having sealed the wills, Dumbledore then claimed Guardianship over the young boy. Bartok, beyond being furious, was also scared for the young sub. If it had been Dumbledore, or one of his followers, to find the boy Bartok honestly didn't think the boy would be alive right now. Dumbledore supported many of the anti-creature laws, and Bartok had noticed that the wording of many of the laws sounded like Dumbledore authored them.

Despite all of this, Dumbledore was powerful and well-liked in England. No matter how much evidence Bartok could bring to light of the man's misdeeds, he doubted it would change much unless he found something huge and presented it in a way no one could deny. Bartok just didn't know if Harry would want to participate.

With how the boy was raised he most likely saw his time at Hogwarts as a rescue from his life. Dumbledore being the head of that institution probably lead Harry to see him as a hero. So it might not matter what Bartok said. He would have to be careful about how he told Harry this information. He wanted the boy to believe him for both of their sakes. Bartok cared for the boy so it would hurt if the young sub was to lash out at him. But if Harry didn't believe in his words, then he could end up hurt by Dumbledore and whatever game he was playing at. Bartok would have to think about this more.

* * *

Lyle was currently in Harry's bedroom, sitting on the couch waiting for Issy to get home from a shopping trip to restock their potions cabinet since they used so many supplies over the last seven days. Lyle was quite anxious for Issy to come home because this was the day Harry would regain his hearing. Anna would be home for lunch but Lyle was worried it would be too late. Not that he didn't care for the boy, it was just that he was worried he would do something wrong and hurt Harry. Anna had given him a vial of ear drops for when he woke since his ears would be sensitive. The drops would muffle sounds until he could get used to having two sets of ears.

Lyle was brought out of his musing by a scream. His head snapped over to the bed, eyes locked on Harry who had tears streaming down his face and hands covering his fox ears. Lyle was beside the bed in an instant, ear drops grasped tightly in his hand. He rested a hand on the sub's back, rubbing it in circles, whispering as low as he could, "Hush Harry, shh it's okay." Harry went still under his hand before lowering his hands.

"Lyle?" Harry whispered back. Lyle sat on the bed next to Harry, wiping the tears from his face. "I think… say something?"

Lyle just couldn't help himself as he whispered back, "Say Something" with a smirk on his face. Harry's ears flicked back a little.

"I can hear!" Harry yelled in excitement, his wide smile showing off his slightly enlarged canines. His ears flicked back once more, hands clamping over them to muffle the sound. Harry whimpered in pain.

The door opened, Anna coming in with a smile on her face before she analyzed what was going on. "Your hearing has come back then? Is there any kind of ringing?" Anna went into healer mode, striding up to the bed before sitting on Harry's other side, giving him a once over.

"They ache, and there was a loud pop right when I woke up," Harry whispered out, lightly hiccuping. Clinging onto Lyle's arm, basking in the comfort he provided. Harry didn't see much of Anna or Bartok since they worked almost every day. When Harry had asked, Lyle had told him they came in every day to kiss him goodnight or, if Harry was awake, spend a few minutes with him. Harry was closer to Lyle since he had been the first one he talked to, Lyle having helped him through that first traumatic day.

That didn't mean he didn't trust the rest of the clan. They had all helped him so much, been so patient with him. David would often curl up in his wolf form on the bed, allowing Harry to clutch his hands in his soft fur, laying his head on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. Issy would sit behind him, running her small hands through his hair, rubbing at the tip of his fox ears. Harry would purr while Issy's chest would rumble with what Harry would later find out from Lyle was Issy babbling. Lyle would sit across from him on his bed, spending hours patiently answering all of Harry's questions. Anna, when he was awake, would confidently smooth salve into his skin, coaxing potions into him.

Lastly, Bartok would just sit with Harry leaning against his arm, smoothing a large hand down his back, his heat drawing Harry in.

Harry was drawn out of his thoughts when Anna started talking again. "I have drops for your ears and a pain killer for the headache you are probably developing. Drink this," Anna said as she handed over an unstoppered vial, he did as she commanded. "Now lay on your side so I can do the drops."

Lyle guided him down to his side, head resting atop soft thighs. Anna cradling his face protectively as she dropped the medicine into one ear at a time, tugging the ear gently to help the liquid coat his whole inner ear. She had him lay still on his side for five minutes, gently telling him about the treatments they had given him so far. The extent of the damage shocked him, but he was relieved when Anna told him that he was almost completely healed, including childhood damage. She told him it was all thanks to the Phoenix that had brought Bartok to the Dursleys' house, and that if he had stayed any longer, he would have had lifelong damage. She only told him this after Harry informed Anna that he could handle it and that he needed to know.

Harry was both shocked with how much damage he had been living with and that a Phoenix he didn't know had saved his life in more ways than one. The fact that a Phoenix had taken an interest in him surprised him, the only one he had ever met was Fawkes. And while the moment he had first laid eyes on the bird he had felt a connection with him, he hadn't been able to figure out why since the bird had burst into flames seconds later. With all the insanity going on that year Harry didn't have time to think much on anything but surviving the year.

Anna got him to turn over, treating his other two ears the same.

Once they finished up Tiptop brought them lunch to eat together. Anna helped him eat the light soup with a roll of fresh bread. When Tiptop came back to collect the dishes Harry complimented her on her cooking. The house-elf squealed in excitement, thanking him before popping away.

"I don't think I have ever seen her blush so deeply," Lyle chuckled.

"Neither have I," Anna added. "Well, I have to get back to work. I'll see you two at dinner." She kissed Harry on his forehead, running a hand down his cheek before leaving.

"How about I get a book to read to you, kiddo?"

Harry nodded excitedly.

Lyle's voice lulled him to sleep, dreams of dragons and elves flowing through his mind.

* * *

Harry fought to stay asleep a little longer, snuggling into the soft pillow under him. His bladder was full, so he finally gave in and groggily sat up. "Lyle?" Harry called out, rubbing the crusties from his still-blind eyes.

"I'm over here Harry, do you need something?" Lyle whispered.

"Can you help me to the bathroom?" Harry asked as he shifted towards the edge of the bed. Footsteps approached him, hands gripping his as they coaxed him into walking. The rug under his feet was plush and the tile cool. He explored his surroundings as much as he could without kicking anything. Harry had spent most of his time on his bed and the time he wasn't there he was in the restroom or on the way there.

Lyle stood him in front of the toilet, guiding his hands down to the lid before letting him go. "I'll wait for you outside the door, just call me when you're done."

Harry called out for Lyle when he finished. His head was pounding harder by the second, his hearing overwhelming him. Lyle guided him back to the bed, "Issy is waiting for you so she can give you your drops. After that and a low dosage pain potion, we will have breakfast."

Issy was gentle as she worked the drops in, humming a gentle tune to help relax him. Her voice was musical, sounding like the tinkling of bells in the wind. The humming became muffled as his drops did their job. "Okay sweetie, turn over and let me do the other side." Harry flipped, face pressing into a soft belly. She smelled of lilac and he was soon nodding off. But, before he could, Issy gently shook him awake, helping him sit up, his back resting against her chest while Lyle sat across from them.

Harry once again thanked Tiptop profusely when she delivered breakfast, she jumped onto the bed, hugged him in her thin bony arms and then popped away. Lyle giggled, "What have you done to our house-elf?" Issy was chuckling and Harry was blushing all the way down his chest. Lyle and Issy switched between who was helped him eat his banana, toast with jam and a delicious fruit punch.

After he drank down three more potions, Issy rubbed the medical lotion into his skin.

The door opened, David walking in with The Hobbit in hand. He was still in his pajamas, looking sleep worn and rumpled. He flopped down on Harry's bed, pulling the boy out of Issy's lap and into his, clutching him like a teddy bear. Harry squeaked at the movement, giggling when David huffed into his hair and read to him.

Issy cuddled into David's side, making comments about the book, David growled each time, then huffed before starting again.

Harry made it five chapters in before he fell asleep, David's chest rumbling with every word. Issy was holding his hand in hers, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. Harry felt so calm, cared for, and loved. He had never felt so safe in his life. Harry wanted to stay here forever, wanted to soak in their attention until he burst.

* * *

"So tell me about your clan," Harry asked.

"My clan is wonderful," Issy giggled. "I am an Air Elemental, we don't go through an inheritance as you did. We are born with our wings and slowly come into our powers. When we can fly on our own, submissives can attend the Courts. I was fourteen when my wings were strong enough to hold me, a little younger than most, but my parents gave me their blessings to join the Courts. I was so nervous during my first trip I couldn't stop babbling. Most elementals stick to other creatures with a similar affinity. However, that's not true for all of us. I was lucky, I found Anna. Not that I was expecting my first chosen mate to be a woman. I was so young, and no one wanted to talk to me. I got knocked over and cut my arm, the dom responsible didn't even stop to notice he did it. Anna stomped over and bashed him over the head with a medical textbook." Issy smiled fondly at the memory.

"Anna was so mad, she demanded that he apologize, he mumbled an apology and scurried off! Anna scooped me off the floor and carried me over to a couch to heal my arm. It mesmerized me, I had so many questions and she patiently answered them all. She was so kind, so when she proposed a courting, I quickly said yes." Issy laughed, it was quite infectious and Harry couldn't help but giggle along.

"We courted for six months before we bonded, we were best friends and I started focusing on becoming a healer, just like she is. She inspired me so much. I can't imagine where I would be now if I hadn't met her. Then we met Bartok a little over a year later. It was at the hospital Anna was working at. I hadn't gone back to the courts after that first experience. I had Anna, and that was enough for me even if we both knew our family would expand sooner or later. Bartok and Anna were both ganging up on the parents of a young sub. They had been trying to force a dom on her who had already hurt her. Bartok was enraged at all the laws they were breaking. I watched as he got all big and puffy while yelling at the parents. Then my Anna kicked them out of the hospital, after escorting the sub to a room. They made such a good team! They worked together on that case, and we saw more of Bartok. And what can I say, I got attached? I told Anna, and she told me to stop waiting for him to ask and propose a courting myself. He said it would be his pleasure." Issy reminisced.

"I was just about to turn sixteen and I stuck to the two of them like glue. Bartok and I's courting was much shorter, only two months before I knew he was meant to be mine. His Draken side was much more powerful than Anna's Nymph so she stepped down to Beta. The doms figure their ranks out on their own, it's nothing we have to worry about. It was just the three of us until around my nineteenth birthday. I had a small power burst a few months after my birthday. Which is normal… Kind of." Issy hesitated at the end, her voice wavering.

Lyle pulled them both into his arms whispering out Issy's name mournfully, Harry reveling in their warmth, pretending their caring was directed at him. He knew it wasn't and that the closest he had gotten so far was after he had been rescued from the Dursleys after his first year by the Weasley twins. He had promised to write the twins since they had gotten close during the year. Harry often went to them for homework help and advice. The moment Harry came to them they automatically stopped whatever they were doing to focus on him. When Harry had their warm brown eyes focused on him, he nearly melted, feeling safe under their wings. So, with how close they got during the year when Harry didn't contact them or reply to their letters they had freaked out. They had stolen their father's flying car along with their grandfather's wand.

Fred and George flew all the way to Surrey, ready to take on the world to make sure Harry was okay. The rage that burned in their eyes when they laid eyes on Harry had shocked him, but it had quickly turned to distress. They vanished the bars and window, jumping through before lifting Harry into their arms, cradling him within their warmth. Harry cried in relief, not noticing as Fred cast a silencing charm on the room while George looked around in disgust. Harry didn't care, they had come to save him and he loved them for it. George continued to hold him as he cried as Fred first released Hedwig, feeding her the roast beef from a sandwich they had packed for the ride, then settling her in the car that was still floating by the window.

Fred then left the room, heading downstairs where Harry had told them his trunk was locked away. When he saw the inside of the cupboard Fred wanted to rush up the stairs and kill those filthy muggles. He had never felt such rage, the only thing that stopped him was his twin reminding him through their bond that if he was locked up, they couldn't take care of their little love. Fred shrunk Harry's trunk and pocketed it. But before he returned to the two most important people in his life, he went into the kitchen and cursed the food in the fridge. He could only make it so they got an extreme case of food poisoning, but it helped ease his anger enough for him not to do something he would regret, only in that he would leave George and Harry alone.

Fred went back upstairs to them before he could think about it any longer, not sure even the thought of going to Azkaban would stop him. George was always the more level headed out of the two of them and often had to pull him back from going too far.

Harry was still crying when Fred entered the room and all thoughts of murder flew out the window, he ran to them, holding them both within his arms. Silent tears were slipping down George's face, but his twin refused to make a sound. George was keeping it together as not to distress Harry more. Fred took Harry into his arms, the boy hiding his face against his chest. Fred let his brother take a few shaky breaths, regaining his composure with Fred whispering words of comfort to both of them, rubbing Harry's back.

As soon as they were all as calm as they could be, they finished gathering Harry's belongings and got into the Ford Anglia, turning on the invisibility feature and casting a notice-me-not onto the car a few more times so that they didn't risk getting caught. They would already be in enough trouble for sneaking out and stealing, they didn't need to risk breaking the Statute of Secrecy.

The twins knew their father would understand their reasons, as would all their older brothers, even Percy would be on their side. It was Molly they were worried about. They had long ago stopped considering that woman their mother. It had happened right after Pandora Lovegood's death. They had always been close to the Lovegoods and had considered Pandora like a mother to them. She had always listened to them and had taught them the basics of spellcraft and had always believed in their dream of owning their own joke shop. Luna had even been the one to tell them what its name would be, "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, but where will it be… Diagon Alley or Terradore, I wonder." She had said as she looked off into the distance, eyes glazed and voice ethereal.

When they asked Pandora if Luna was okay, worried that she might have been cursed, the woman had just laughed, tucking a long section of white-blonde hair behind her ear. "No dears, nothing of the sort. You can call it the Lovegood Gift if you want. All I can say is when she speaks, I listen."

They had understood without further questions and promised to protect Luna with all they had. There were many stories of Seers being captured and held as slaves by Dark Lords and they never wanted to see that happen to a girl they considered their little sister. The day after they had vowed that Luna smiled the largest smile they had ever seen on her. She told them not to worry, with that vow they would always be there to protect her and she would always be there to protect their clan.

They hadn't understood but like what Pandora said they listened without question.

What had ruined the twins and Molly's relationship was her refusal to let them go to Pandora's funeral. They would never forgive her for that.

Harry, of course, knew none of this. All he knew was that when they had arrived before dawn at the Burrow and snuck inside, the twins had shuffled him into a pair of their pajamas, clothes drowning him and cuddled him between them on their bed. Holding onto him and rubbing fingers through his hair and across his back until Harry fell into the most peaceful sleep of his life.

Harry woke up to George gently shaking him awake with a vial of potions in hand. Harry wanted to refuse but the red handprint on his face and dark look in George's eyes stopped him. After Harry swallowed it down George pressed a glass of cool water into his hand, and he guzzled it greedily.

They got dressed and headed downstairs to find Mrs. Weasley standing in front of Fred glaring hatefully at him. It wasn't until Harry was in her line of sight that her expression did a one-eighty, Harry didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, he recognized how strange it was and the strain in her smile.

It wasn't until Lyle and Issy started talking that Harry came out of his reminiscence. He missed the twins dearly and was worried about what they would think of him no longer being human. The thought of it caused him to start hyperventilating. It stopped when a burst of warmth and the most beautiful song started. Without even a second of thought, Harry reached out, hands tangling into warm feathers.

It took him a few minutes of relaxing into the cradle of Lyle and Issy's arms before he recognized the song.

"Fawkes, is that you?" Harry asked, hope filling his voice.

A warble that was clearly a yes echoed around the room.

A smile spread across Harry's face. Harry always felt a strange connection with the Phoenix. Ever since he first went to Hogwarts, when he was anxious, it felt like the very stones that made up the beautiful castle whispered a song to him. It was always calming and Harry always just had believed it was one of the many quirks of the school. It wasn't until he first visited the Headmaster's office that he realized otherwise. Sitting on a golden perch was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen, (something he would never say in front of Hedwig). Even with the bird looking close to death, Harry was still mesmerized. And then the song had started. It was filled with such joyfulness and hope. Harry fell into a trance, a vision of an older man, tall and broad with wild blood-red hair and beard with twinkling blue eyes. The man smiled at him, so wide and genuine, that it made Harry's heart flutter in his chest.

The man mouthed something but Harry was too distracted to tell what it was, and suddenly a reedy voice interrupted his thoughts and the vision dispersed. The man giving one last wave before fading away. The bird then burst into flames, burning hot and fast. Ashes falling into a golden dish under the perch that had gone previously unnoticed.

Harry couldn't help the tears that burst from him, heart feeling as if it was gripped within a tightening vise. He couldn't get a breath in. Harry was going to die.

A bald head popped out of the pile of ashes. A worried, but weak song started. Harry reached out, hands shaking as he softly rubbed a single finger on the bird's cheek. The bird rubbed trustingly into Harry's skin. The vise around his chest vanished. And his heart soared at the trust the tiny being was showing him.

A hand gripped his shoulder and forced him to turn to look at the Headmaster who was towering over him. Harry couldn't help but flinch at the man being so close. He tried to tell himself that it was just the Headmaster and that the man would never hurt him but he couldn't get his heart to believe it. The song had turned worried and suspicious, raising his alarm. A nobbly wand reached out and tapped the bowl, the song stopping in such a way that an unnatural hollow feeling filled the room.

That had been Harry's first introduction to the beautiful Phoenix. The next time it happened was when Fawkes had come to his aid in the Chamber of Secrets. Though for some reason everything that had happened was fuzzy, some parts of it were crystal clear while the background of the memories looked like a bad watercolor painting.

Harry just put it down to how stressful it had been along with being poisoned.

But now, here Fawkes was, headbutting into Harry's hand, coos almost sounding like a purr. The last bit of unease at being in a strange place vanished. He started laughing, grabbing onto both Issy and Lyle, pulling them into his sides. Finally allowing himself to take in their warmth and knowing that part of it was for him. Harry basked in it, Issy babbling away and Lyle running his hands through his hair.

Harry started to drift, reveling in the comfort until he realized he had a question to ask. "So the more power we have the more mates we need?" Incredulous with the whole idea of needing to be with more than one person. The Claremores were the first group of people he had ever met where more than two people were involved together. So the whole idea was foreign to him. Despite his apprehension, they were such wonderful people that he couldn't help but approve of their marriage.

He wanted to be as happy as they were.

But the thought of mates and bonding still puzzled him. And now that he could communicate better he could ask all the questions that had been rattling around his head.

"Well, it's a long story as to why clans were started, but generally the answer to your question is yes," Lyle said as he situated Harry better between them. "Let's get you some lunch while I explain the history behind everything."

Tiptop popped in with food for them all, Harry began digging into his ham and cheese sandwich, apple slices, and juice.

"What you need to first understand is there are many realms. We are still not sure if we know all of them. David would be able to explain it better as he is a history buff. But this world is the Nexus. All magical ley lines lead here. It is why there are so many sentient magical races on earth." Lyle continued with the lesson.

"Over 3,000 years ago the portals between realms were discovered and first opened. There were, of course, times when people would suddenly find themselves in another realm before that without any rhyme or reason. We still don't know why that happened. Stonehenge was one of the portals before it was destroyed after the Great Purge."

"The Great Purge?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but we will get to that in a bit. Most countries have a portal, places such as Mount Olympus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pyramid of Giza. Non-magicals made many myths up of where such strange, well at least to them, creatures came from. For the most part, we all lived in peace until 904 years ago. There were, of course, the occasional fights but for the most part, creatures stayed in their own realms. The only reason any moved to Earth was to live near the converging ley lines."

"Then the unthinkable happened, it was a massacre," Issy whispered, terror in her voice.

"The Purge," David continued. "904 years ago a Dark Lord rose to power. His family had been planning it for generations, gathering the darkest of arts and followers, both magical and non. They sacrificed hundreds of creatures, spread out through the decades so no one caught on until finally a child was born with the power to destroy all he saw."

"What you need to understand is to get from one realm to another one had to travel to Earth at the time. So once his army moved on a realm there was no real escape."

"Why didn't they just apparate or Floo to safety?" Harry was confused.

Lyle sighed, running his hands through Harry's hair in an attempt to calm himself. "If only. At the time Floo travel had yet to be invented, and it was the Dark Lord himself who invented Apparition. He and his magical followers used it as a tool of mass destruction while his non-magical followers guarded the portals, leaving any who tried to escape to Earth caught in a trap. There was also no way to contact the other realms so others couldn't be warned of what was to come."

"Along with the killing curse that one of his ancestors developed, we stood no chance. The creatures from each realm fought as hard as they could to give their elders and children a chance to escape into the deepest reaches of their realms. Very few war-ready adults survived, most of the adults who did, were pregnant or worked in jobs where they had never before needed to fight. The Dark Lord's lack of knowledge of such places in each world was the only reason we weren't all destroyed. This continued on, and with their ability to apparate they could easily travel the long distance between portals."

Harry's food tasted like ash in his mouth, but Issy urged him to continue to eat. He couldn't imagine someone so depraved. Compared to this Dark Lord, Voldemort looked like a friendly kitten.

"After each realm was hit, they would send out scouts to try to reach the other realms in an attempt to raise an army. It took years to smuggle the survivors to the home realm of the Phoenixes, they never ventured to earth and didn't have a centralized society since they had the ability to flame. The Dark Lord knew he had no chance at the time of taking them out so he didn't even bother attacking them."

"Wait, Phoenixes are beings? Like with a human form?" Harry asked in alarm, head snapping to where Fawkes was perched on the headboard above his head. Fawkes chirped in what was clearly an affirmative.

Issy spoke up, "Yes, but they have a different life cycle than most other beings. They live their first life as a human and once they die they are forced into living in their Phoenix form until they find their soulmate. It can take them millennium." Fawkes huffed in agreement. "Once they find their mate they live out their third life, which is tied to the life force of their mate. At this time they are able to switch between forms."

"Is Fawkes your real name?" Harry asked the bird, receiving a clear and unhappy no. "I am sorry I have been using the wrong name." Harry felt bad, knowing what if felt like to be called something that wasn't your name. It wasn't until Harry started at Hogwarts that his name was constantly used.

The Phoenix rubbed his face against Harry's hair, giving his fox ears a soft nip, a clear 'No worries' in the action.

Before Harry could ask more to try to figure out what his name was the Phoenix screeched in displeasure before violently flaming away, the fire licking Harry in what was a clear apology.

"What just happened?" He asked, distressed with how upset his friend had been.

"We aren't sure," Issy sighed, hugging Harry in an attempt to calm him before he got too worked up. "It's been happening ever since you were brought here. David believes that he is being summoned elsewhere but, he is clearly unhappy about it so we aren't sure why he is going."

"Maybe Dumbledore… He told me Fawkes was his familiar but if Fawkes is a being that shouldn't be possible should it?" Harry was worried for his friend, and now that he knew the Phoenix was a being and not just a magical animal, Harry was starting to feel weary of the Headmaster.

Lyle sounded distracted, "No, it's not possible."

They were all silent for a few minutes, lost in thought about what was going on. Issy finally ended the silence with a fake cheery voice, "Would you like to continue the history lesson?"

Harry wanted to distract himself, the feeling of thankfulness to Dumbledore for saving him now tainted by confusion. He wasn't ready to think about it just yet. "Yes, please."

"Well, once the Phoenixes were informed about what was happening, they came to the other creatures aid. Flaming survivors long distances to reach their realm. By that time the Dark Lord and his followers were turning their gaze to the other races on Earth. But it was too late, within a month they had all been moved to Terradore. Apparition has one major weakness, you can only travel so far in one jump. And trying to chain jump quickly drains energy. Since most of the Dark Lord's forces were average Wizard and Witches they primarily used it in battle. They also had to side-along their non-magical forces, so they were traveling via boat between America and Britain while the other races of earth were being evacuated. They also had to contend with the fact that the portal to Terradore was atop Mount Olympus."

Lyle's voice had turned hopeful with the tale. "The Phoenixes were able to capture a few of the lower members of the Dark Lords forces, ones that wouldn't be noticed if they went missing. The Centaurs were able to use their mind magics to gather information, learning both apparition and the killing curse in the process. Everyone trained, the saved elders from each world teaching everyone their knowledge. It was the start of what would be the future for creatures. The comradery and open sharing of knowledge while born during our darkest time lead to our golden age."

"The Dark Lord returned home, planning on taking out the Goblins to take control of the economy. All the Witches and Wizards who weren't on his side were frightened by his power and knew that once he completed his quest to take out the other races, his blood lust would turn to any who he thought wasn't on his side. The tales of the mass exodus via flaming birds clued him into where everyone had gone and he started the march toward Greece. But by the time he made it there the creatures were ready for him. It was a long bloody fight, lasting over a week but soon we reigned supreme. They were no match for the collective knowledge of our realms."

"What was his name... The Dark Lord I mean?" Harry questioned tentatively, worried that it might bring about even more sorrow than what had filled the story already. He had never understood why British magicals reacted the way they did to Voldemort's name but if he was even a fraction as bad as this Dark Lord had been he now understood. Harry felt bad about the fact he had so blatantly spoken the mad wizard's name. Now understanding that just the name would bring up horrible memories, especially with his acts of terror being so recent.

"No one knows," Issy informed him, voice still tight with sorrow. "It wasn't for lack of trying but he only ever went by 'My Lord.' Not even his followers knew him by a pseudonym, let alone his real name. It is our biggest mystery, so much so we still have researchers working on it. We are all still worried about what his family might be up to along with what lays within their family grimoire."

"But now that you know all of this I can explain clans and the numbers of mates subs need." Harry nodded to indicate that he was ready to continue. "Since our numbers were so low the elders all gathered together to try to come up with a plan. It used to be that creatures used to mainly mate within their own race and only had one mate. But it would have taken too long for us to rebuild if we continued like that, added to the fact the gene pool left was very small. They had to figure out something. The Phoenix elders let them use their most holy grounds to pray to Mother Magic for an answer. They gathered together all the spiritual leaders and the most precious relics from each race as a sacrifice."

"After a fortnight of prayer, all of Terradore was surrounded by a soft golden glow. And Lady Magic took control of Eos, who was the Phoenix elder and spoke through her. '_My children, how I grieve for you. The torture of watching so many of my children returned to me before their time. The only thing I could do was to welcome them within my bosom when they came. They granted me their magic and remaining life force, in hopes that they could help the survivors. After a forest fire, the ashes nourish the growth to come. In this way, their spirit continues on. Until you all flourish once again I will grant you the gift of longevity and fertility. My wish for you is to survive… no, to thrive. To prosper and proliferate. So go my children, teach your young our ways, preserve what you can but continue to move forward.'"_

Lyle looked far away, reciting the speech from memory. He shook himself back into focus when Harry asked, wonder in his voice, "Lady Magic is real? My friend, Ron, Ron Weasley told me it was just a silly story told to children."

Lyle was shocked, someone who had grown up around magic should know better than to think such a thing. And knowing how far the Weasley line went back it seemed almost impossible that the boy didn't know better.

"Yes, she is real, she watches over all of her children. If you call upon her in times of need she will answer. That being said, never call her for frivolous things."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, wondering why Ron didn't know such a thing. "Why didn't she help sooner then? Why didn't someone call her sooner?"

Issy spoke up, "While she is far more powerful than us she isn't all-powerful. She couldn't just strike the Dark Lord down, that's not how it works. And the only reason she could grant us the chance to bounce back was all the magic those who died gave her to hold in trust. She can do things like judge contracts, help in healing, or in the bonding of mates. But what you have to remember is that she watches over all her children, both beings and animals, which means she is always being called on. So we try to only call when absolutely necessary."

"Did you call on her to help heal me?"

Issy squeezed him harder against her side. "No, we didn't need to. While you were in horrible shape, you weren't on the brink. She can only hold off death for a short while so healers only call on her when a few seconds could make the difference between life and death."

Harry nodded, it made sense that if Lady Magic was real, she would be unable to fix every little problem that everyone had.

"What she granted us was an extended life, giving us the time to help boost our population. She also graced subs with larger than normal magical cores. This was because when a submissive is pregnant a large majority of their magic goes to creating the life within them and protecting the children from harm. With the extra fertility, multiple births are very common and this leaves the submissive vulnerable. But, the excess magic becomes unstable and can be threatening to a sub's life. This is where mates come in. The bonds that hold mates together allow doms to take on the excess magic until it's needed. This is why the more magically powerful a submissive is the more mates they need." Issy explained, hand running down Harry's back.

"But why can't just one mate hold the extra magic?" Harry still didn't understand why such a thing would be necessary.

"Partially because bigger families allow for more genetic diversity across races, but mostly it is because dom's cores are more rigid. They don't need the flexibility that subs need for child birthing, so their core can only take in a set amount of extra magic before they risk their core bursting. Most of the time clans aren't bigger than ten mates. But there are cases of subs being born with extraordinarily large cores, to begin with, meaning they need more mates. It is also common for subs to bond with each other, making the clan larger still." Issy's voice was fond when she explained all this. "I only needed my four wonderful mates to keep me grounded."

With this explanation in mind, Harry finally understood. Now he just needed to come to terms with the fact he would have to have more than one life partner or risk losing his life. He had fought so long to stay alive that he couldn't, wouldn't, let something like this get in his way. But he also didn't know if he would be able to be with more than one person. Harry had always dreamed of one day having a family. But in those wishful daydreams, he had never dared to imagine a partner. They had always been just a faceless being. All he had focused on was the thought of children. Of having many and giving them all the love and attention he had never received. The reason he hadn't been able to bring himself to imagine his spouse was that he didn't truly believe anyone could love a freak like him. His view of marriage was also warped by growing up watching his Aunt and Uncle's relationship. If that was what love was he wasn't sure he wanted it. The Claremore's, with their easy affection, were slowly changing that.

So when Ron had mooned over girls Harry tuned him out. When Hermione had blushed over Lockhart, he just hadn't understood.

The worst part of this realization was the risk of sticking someone with his freakishness for the rest of their lives. To know if he didn't he would die. The best he could hope for at this point was to bond with a friend who he could then let go on with their life and intrude on their happiness as little as possible.

There was just one thing he needed to know now. "How many?" He asked, wondering how many people he would have to saddle with his presence.

Lyle hummed in consideration. "We aren't quite sure, to be honest. When the time comes for you to start courting, you will know. Your magic will draw you to compatible mates, and it will let you know when you have enough."

Issy hesitantly added, "There is one thing you need to know… You had bindings on your core, placed there when you were only fifteen months old. We aren't sure who did it but because your magic grew under such pressure when your inheritance happened those binds broke and your core grew rapidly out of control. During a magical inheritance, your body takes in excess magic in the area to help with any changes so that your core isn't completely depleted."

"We won't know how large your core will end up until your eighteenth birthday after your final magical boost that comes along with sexual maturity." Issy trailed off, as if not sure how to continue. She quickly changed the subject. "So when I had an unexpected boost of power at nineteen I had to go back to the courts. You don't have to worry about that happening to you though…" Issy sounded sad before going back to her chirpy self. "That's when I met Lyle. I saw him from across the room being smothered to death by a woman with the biggest boobs I've ever seen."

Lyle groaned loudly, causing Harry to laugh.

"The saddest thing about that was it was my older sister!" Lyle grumbled. "But here comes little Issy, storming up to us and starts informing my sister that she was medically damaging me. And that if she wanted a man to stay alive, she might need to consider having a breast reduction. She then had the nerve to recommend someone! All my sister could do was stutter! Here was this little sub scolding an unknown dom. It was adorable, and I was instantly in love."

"Well, I had a point! You were literally turning blue! I couldn't just sit there and watch you die." Issy cried out, pulling Lyle into her, crushing Harry between them as he giggled at the obvious caring they had for each other. "Plus… no woman needs boobs that big.." Issy mumbled.

"Yeah well, I got right up from where my sister had dropped me on the ground in her shock and got on a knee and asked Issy to marry me." Lyle teased, fondness obvious in his voice.

"And then Bartok, who had witnessed the whole thing came over, picked me up and threw me over his shoulder and told Lyle no, before carrying me away. But Lyle was persistent. After two weeks I finally accepted his courting proposal." Issy explained.

"Our doms can reject other doms?" Harry asked.

"Well not really, but they can tell you if they approve or not and give advice. But who we mate with is up to us. Mind you, you don't want your mates to not get along. Think about how horrible that would make living together, everyone would be miserable. They don't have to be best friends but they need to at least be friendly and respect each other. The better the relationship between your mates the happier life will be. It is almost completely unheard of for mates to divorce, and the only time it happens is in very extreme cases and only when Lady Magic agrees with the split. With our live spans being easily over 800 years in most cases having healthy relationships between everyone in a clan is extremely important."

"We courted for a few months before I gave in and accepted him as my mate. David came next, we could tell that Lyle wasn't enough to keep me balanced. I met David at a bookstore, I accidentally knocked into him, spilling the stack of books he was planning to buy."

Lyle interrupted, "The way I hear it you were jumping up trying to reach a book when you fell, taking him down with you." Lyle snickered, receiving a soft slap to the arm for it.

"Anyway, David is really quiet and loves reading. As you can tell from him coming to read to you whenever he has free time. So it was only fitting that we met where we did." Issy was once again running her fingers through his hair, causing him to purr softly. "We courted for four months before we bonded, he has been part of the family for seven months now."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of creatures are you all?" Harry questioned.

"Oh! Sorry, we didn't think to tell you sooner. I am an Air Elemental, Anna is a Wood Nymph, Bartok is a Draken, David is a Werewolf and Lyle is a Tengu." Issy was shocked she had forgotten to mention such a thing earlier.

"But I have cuddled with David? I thought he was just a dog animagus, granted a huge dog, but still... Isn't it dangerous to be around a transformed Werewolf?" Harry was worried. He still couldn't shake the image of Remus changing from his nice teacher into a raging monster. Harry didn't hold it against the man because he knew he couldn't help it and that Remus would never hurt a soul normally, but the memory still frightened him.

"Oh that's right, it's not well known in the non-creature community what the difference is between werewolves and infected werewolves. Well, David was born a Werewolf and can change at will. His change isn't the halfway thing that infected werewolves are cursed to suffer on the full moon. The kind of Werewolf you are thinking of is the result of an Unspeakable experiment turned horribly wrong. A true were's abilities are genetic and can only be passed down through their children, they can also shift at will like an animagus. The team of Unspeakables were trying to produce a potion that would copy a were's abilities. Trying to heighten a person's strength, senses, and to make it so they could use their animagus form without having to go through years of training. The first person they tried it on had the animagus form of a wolf, that is why all infected are werewolves, where real werecreatures come in all forms. When the test subject showed no changes they went back to the drawing board not knowing the horrors they had just unleashed. Peter Stubbe went home to his farm, and when the full moon rose he changed. When he woke the next morning, covered in blood, he found that he had killed or bitten everyone in the small muggle town he lived near. His sorrow was so great that he took his own life. It wouldn't be until years later when the Unspeakables had already given up on their project did they find out what happened. By then it was too late to do anything, and ever since the Ministry has tried to hide their mistake through laws they have passed." Lyle informed him, saddened once again with the topic.

Harry was astonished that this information wasn't widespread but it explained the horrible laws Hermione had ranted about when she figured out Remus' secret. She had been so upset for their teacher.

Just then a chime rang throughout the room, a reminder that it was time for another potion. Harry sat up from his comfortable position, Lyle getting off the bed and shuffling around the room. Harry held his hand out, waiting for the potion vial to be placed in it. "Harry, let's get you under the covers, this is the one that tends to knock you out." Harry drank back the foul concoction and then sipped some fruit punch to get rid of the taste before Issy helped him under the soft duvet. He cuddled into the soft pillows, mind already going fuzzy. Harry was thankful for that, all the information he had found out today would take him days to think through and digest fully and at the moment he was just too overwhelmed to work through it.

Hands began running through his hair again. "Rest Harry, sleep well," Issy whispered. The hand left him and he heard the two leave the room, the door clicking shut softly.

In no time he was fast asleep.


	4. Security Blanket

AN: Still don't own Harry Potter. But please please please tell me what you think of my fic. comments fuel me.

* * *

When Harry woke next, small hands were stroking through his hair. He assumed it was Issy, since there was a musical humming, and snuggled into her warmth. "Good evening, Harry, you've been asleep for the past six hours, are you hungry?" Issy whispered.

"I don't normally sleep this much," Harry mumbled, completely relaxed under the warm covers. It was so soft that all he wanted was to melt into the bed and never leave. He had woken a while ago and gone through all the information he had learned that day. It had been hard, and he ended up crying through most of it. What was hardest for him was reconciling the Phoenix he knew as Fawkes being a person and that Dumbledore lied about such a thing. Why would he do such a thing? Why would he feel the need to? And with how upset the Phoenix was when asked about it and when being forced to leave, Harry just didn't understand what was going on.

To think the same man who had saved him from his personal hell would do such a thing brought all the memories of the Headmaster to the fore of his mind. He turned over all their interactions, going over them with a fine-toothed comb. The longer he thought of them the further his heart sunk.

The two most damning things were when he had begged the man to let him stay at Hogwarts over the summer and when the Headmaster had taken Harry straight to his office instead of the hospital wing during his second year. He didn't even remember Dumbledore asking him if he was okay. Harry knew that after that first conversation at the end of his first year he should have stopped trusting the man, but for some unknown reason that hadn't happened. Harry tried to think about why he had accepted what was obviously a weak excuse but he couldn't explain it. He began arguing with the older man when he had said he was sure the Dursley's loved Harry and that he was just blowing punishments out of proportion. But then, for some unknown reason, Harry had just accepted it.

The unease grew within Harry, bubbling until he finally fell back into a restless sleep.

Now that he was fully awake, Issy cuddled up to him, he felt confident enough to not trust the Headmaster anymore. At least not until he had another chance to speak with the Phoenix.

The door to the room he was staying in opened with a faint click. Both Issy and Harry sat up, Issy giggling as she tried to smooth down Harry's hair. "It's almost time for dinner. Lyle had to leave unexpectedly for work, so Bartok will help by carrying you to the dining room. Everyone else will be there though. Tiptop was really excited to hear that you are finally ready to leave your room." Issy rambled as she guided him from the bed. Harry laughed at her excitement.

"Dinner sounds good, Tiptop is such a wonderful cook," Harry said as his stomach rumbled loudly. Bartok chuckled, a smoky scent flowing from him.

"Yeah, now that you can hear and are staying awake for longer periods of time we figured it was time for you to leave the bedroom. I hope you like it when you see it! I went shopping so you could have some things. You know, so you can feel comfortable…" Issy was rambling again but a deep voice cut her off.

Harry was about to interrupt himself, not understanding what she meant when she said that she bought him things. He just didn't understand why she would say such a thing.

"All right Issy, how about you go let Anna know that Harry is out of his bed and will join us for dinner. She will need to grab his potions." Bartok suggested, he laid a hand on Harry's shoulder to let him know how close the older man was. Issy chirped out a cheery 'Ok' before skipping out of the room. "She is very excited to have you here. Now, how about we get you cleaned up?" Harry nodded, allowing large hands to guide him into the restroom. Harry knew that Bartok was far larger than him so he ignored the unease he felt at having someone looming over him.

"Okay, the toilet is right in front of you, call me when you are finished." Bartok left, letting Harry have his privacy.

After a while, he finished up and inched his way over to where he knew the sink was. He washed his hands and splashed warm water over his face to help him wake up farther. "Okay, I am finished," Harry called out.

"I brought you some new clothes to change into." Bartok handed him a pile of clothes and Harry quickly changed. "Is it okay if I carry you to the dining room? There is a flight of stairs I don't want you to have to worry about. Anna also still wants you to take it easy."

Harry nodded shyly, still not used to being held. But with how affectionate all the Claremores were with him he was quickly getting used to the thought of touch not always being painful. His body was easily swept up into Bartok's strong arms, holding him against a warm chest that Harry couldn't help curl against. He had spent so many years in a constant state of cold that he now couldn't help but seek out any source of warmth. That was also part of why the Phoenix had always called to him, he radiated a comforting heat that drew him in. He was like a moth before a flame.

Harry was held protectively in the cage of the muscular arms, carried downstairs and finally placed into a plush chair, the smell of food wafting towards him. He salivated at the delicious scent.

"I'm sitting next to you Harry so I'll help you out with dinner!" Issy's unmistakable voice happily chimed in next to him. He couldn't help the smile the formed, her excitement infectious. "Tiptop made turkey and mashed potatoes for dinner tonight, Anna wants you to eat some more protein, and the turkey should go down easily. Do you like turkey?"

There was a feminine chuckle across from Harry much deeper than Issy's. "Issy, love, take a breath and calm yourself." Anna instructed. Harry could hear Issy take in a deep breath before letting it out. "Much better, try not to overwhelm him."

Issy giggled again, something she did far more often than anyone else he knew. "Sorry Harry! We also have some juice if you want it." Harry nodded eagerly, David had informed him that all the juice was homemade by Tiptop and it was always wonderful.

Issy worked on filling Harry's plate and then helped feed him, pausing to take bites of her own. It was delicious, the turkey moist, the mashed potatoes creamy, and the buttery boiled carrots lemony and still slightly crunchy. The other members were chatting about their days and current events and Harry listened intently. Anna told everyone about helping a child get a stuck marble out of his nose, and everyone laughed merrily.

A drip of mash potato fell on his chin but before he could wipe it away Issy was fussing with a damp napkin, wiping his whole mouth. Harry couldn't help the blush that spread across his warm chai skin.

"How are you feeling, Harry," Anna asked after he had finally finished his meal, tummy pleasantly full.

"I feel really amazing," Harry answered honestly. He knew that after all he had gone through right before getting here that he shouldn't be feeling this good but his state was a testament to how great of healers the two women were.

"I am very relieved that you are feeling better, we were all very worried about you." The concern in Anna's voice was obvious, and it touched him that these near strangers cared so much. "Unfortunately, you still need some more care and potions." Three vials were passed over, and he couldn't help but sigh at the thought of the foul tasting liquids. He quickly downed them, grabbing his glass of juice and chugging it.

"Issy, I believe you have some school work you need to finish, I'll see to young Harry for now. Go on," Bartok's deep voice gently instructed.

Issy stiffened beside him. "Are you going to talk to him about…" She trailed off voice tight in a way Harry had never heard from her, it instantly put him on edge.

David seemed to notice his worry and in his kind voice said, "Don't worry Harry, it's nothing to be afraid of." Instantly Harry calmed, trusting the older man not to lie to him. David often held Harry to his chest and read to him, and whenever Harry had a question David answered without hesitation.

"Yes, no need to worry. Issy why don't you go now," Bartok suggested. Harry felt a small kiss placed on his forehead before he could hear the pattering of the woman skipping away. "Harry, I'm going to pick you up and then Anna and I want to have a conversation with you in the other room, is that okay?"

"Yes." Harry's chair was pulled out, Bartok's arms picking him up smoothly and carrying him into another room, Anna following them.

Harry was set onto a very cushy couch, a fuzzy fleece placed over his lap. He stroked the blanket; it felt wonderful and he couldn't stop. It was the softest thing Harry had ever felt, and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"If you like the blanket, you can keep it," Anna commented.

Harry's head snapped up, utterly shocked. He couldn't believe she was offering something so nice to him without even a second of hesitation. His hands clenched into the soft fabric. "Are… Are you sure? I mean, it's so nice…" Harry couldn't help the hesitation.

Bartok was the one to respond this time. "Yes, Harry, we're sure. You can keep it. What we want to talk about is what has happened since you arrived here. I was the one who found you. You were in terrible condition, luckily Anna and Issy are wonderful healers. You will also need to continue taking potions for a long time."

"I prefer you to stay off your feet as much as possible until you regain your vision," Anna interjected, her tone stern.

"Yes, but what we brought you here to discuss is your living arrangements." Harry couldn't help how stiff he went, spine rigid and muscles tense. A warm hand clutched his knee. "Don't worry, Harry - you will never return to that house."

Harry forced himself to relax. "Really?" His voice cracking at the end.

The hand rubbed soothing circles, "Yes, Harry, never. In fact, your relatives have been arrested. You will never have to so much as see them again." Bartok reassured him, moving back to his seat. Harry pulled the blanket tighter around him, rubbing its soft fabric against his cheek. Many thoughts were running through his mind, most centering on where he would go now. Who would want him? While he was still frightened at least he didn't have to worry about the Dursleys ever again.

It was strange to think about, the threat of the Dursley's had always hung over his head like a sharpened axe. But now, even if he ended up somewhere he hated, at least it wasn't the hell he had been in for the last sixteen years.

"For now, we hold your custody. I am a solicitor for creature's rights so I'm handling your case."

Anna moved to sit next to him, wrapping her slender arm around his waist, pulling him into her side. Harry rested his head against her shoulder, allowing the fact he never had to worry about his relatives again to sink in, along with the fact that at least for now he was safe with the Claremores.

"Now Harry, this leaves us with a few options, ones we want you to pick from. Your first option is that you stay as our ward, under Anna's care, until you're healed. Once you're healthy, we can revisit that arrangement. Your second option is if you have someone else you would rather live with we will make sure you are safe with them, Anna would like to continue to take care of you if this is the option you choose. Lastly… we, as a family, would like to offer to adopt you." Bartok stayed steady through the whole small speech.

Harry was stupefied. He blinked rapidly, trying to make his thoughts make sense. Anna's arm around his waist was the only thing grounding him to reality, proving that he wasn't just dreaming. He swallowed hard, throat clicking and tears gathering in his eyes, trying his hardest to find his voice. It came out weak and thin. "Are… are you serious?"

Anna's hand started ran through his hair, rubbing at the base of his ears, tears finally slipping down his face. "Oh honey," Anna pulled him into her lap, letting him hide his burning face with her neck. Her soothing scent of sandalwood the only thing that kept him from breaking down completely. The couch dipped, Bartok's warmth surrounding them both as he rocked them.

Bartok's deep voice rumbled, "Issy would love to be your mum and I can honestly say we all feel the same. I would be happy to be considered as your father. You are a sweet kid, Harry, and you deserve to have a family who loves and provides for you. We would like to be your family. You need not decide right away, you have plenty of time to think about it."

Harry's hands fisted tightly into the blanket that was now his, something he was still having a hard time accepting. "Why would you want a child that's not your own? Why would you want a useless freak like me…" The questions fell from his lips without his permission. But they were things he would always wonder if they weren't answered now. They would whisper their words of doubt and insecurity during every happy moment, staining them all.

"Oh darling," Anna sounded so sad, Harry more than anything wished he could see her face. To see if her concern was real. He wanted so much to believe her but there was still that seed of doubt the Dursley's planted so deeply. For years they told him he was unlovable, so for this family, to so willingly offer to take him in, to care for him, was a hard thing to accept.

Anna's voice was soft, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. "What happened to you was horrible, and no one should have to go through what you did. You are precious and we would feel blessed to call you our child. We want to shower you with love and I'm sure Issy plans to spoil you. You haven't seen what a real family is, the way they treated you was monstrous, and we want to give you everything you should have always had." Anna tried to reassure him but Harry still had many doubts. One of the biggest ones was what would Sirius think, the man had offered to take him in too. Harry knew with how the Minister of Magic had reacted when Harry tried to tell him what happened that Sirius was no real option for him. Now he was in a limbo-like state with his living arrangements; he didn't have the time to think on it much even if Anna and Bartok said he did. Harry knew that he wouldn't feel safe until plans were made. Even though they assured him he would never have to go back to the Dursleys, he wouldn't believe it until there was no chance it would happen, and even then he would still worry. He wished he could contact Sirius, but the man was on the run and it was safer for him if Harry didn't reach out. He also didn't want to bring unwanted attention to his Godfather and risk him being Kissed. Harry still had nightmares about a Dementor hovering over the man, softly glowing blue orb floating from Sirius' mouth. But in his nightmares the orb didn't return to its owner, Harry staring down into glassy eyes before the Dementors floated to him, scabby hands reaching.

No, Sirius wasn't an option.

The Claremores, however, had been so kind to him; they had taken him in when he was a complete stranger. They had no obligation to take care of him. But they had, even going above and beyond. But most of all, Harry sincerely liked them.

In the dead of night, when he had awoken from particularly nasty dreams he had even wished, more than once, to stay here forever.

Now he had the chance.

Harry pulled away from Anna's neck, taking in one last breath of her calming scent. "What about when you have children of your own, won't I just get in the way?" He lowered his blanket a little, still clutching it tightly.

"Harry, creature clans are known for their large number of children. You will never be in the way, you could be a big brother to our other children if you let us adopt you. And even if you don't want us to, we will still always care for you, and be here for you. You will always be welcome to be part of our family." Bartok's giant hand was rubbing circles into Harry's back, almost as if it was more for his own comfort than Harry's. That reassured Harry more than anything. To realize that Bartok, who always seemed so self-assured to Harry, was worried about Harry's answer made him feel like they truly meant all of this.

"This is what Issy was going on about after dinner. I wouldn't be surprised if she is waiting to pounce on you as soon as we finish." Bartok chuckled, and Harry smiled and cuddled into his side more. His next sentence was much more serious, "Issy can get overexcited, I want her enthusiasm to not pressure you."

There was one last thing he needed to know, one last question and his mind would be made. "What do you want from me in return? For taking me in?" He couldn't help the hesitation in his voice, this one answer would determine his future.

"Ah, what do we want? We want you. We want you to have a childhood, to be happy and safe. To act like a kid, to play and make friends. That is what we want." Anna told him, completely honest in her answer before her voice turned teasingly. "Oh, and you will have to put up with our crazy family, of course."

A giggle burst from him, a small snort at the end. He snuggled into Anna's side, grabbing Bartok's hand to clutch it within his own. "Yeah, I want it… I want a family… I want to be part of your family." Tears streaming down his face.

"Oh Harry," Anna said, hugging the sobbing boy, rocking him from side to side. "Everything will be fine, son, Bartok will handle everything. You'll be ours, our baby, and we'll take care of you for the rest of your life," Anna soothed him.

Harry held onto them both, allowing himself to be comforted within their embrace. The sense of safety he felt at never having to worry about the Dursleys again was all-consuming and he quickly drifted off.

* * *

"He took that well," Anna had a smile spread across her face. "Issy will be happy, she was so excited by the thought. And now we have a son." She looked down at Harry fondly, the young sub snoring lightly, his face squished up against her chest.

"We have a son," Bartok's smile was small but none-the-less there. His deep mocha skin blushing the slightest bit. "We have quite a bit of work to do to get him healthy. But we will take care of him and make him whole again. We should get him to bed, he looked exhausted at dinner and I have to start the adoption paperwork." Bartok lifted Harry from Anna's lap blanket and all, the boy curling around him automatically. Anna opened the door for him, to discover Issy standing on the other side, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

"What did he say? Did he say yes?" Issy babbled as soon as she saw the door open, but as soon as she saw Harry curled into Bartok's arms, eyes red and puffy she went still. "Is he okay?"

Bartok couldn't help the fond smile as he rolled his eyes, walking past her and towards the stairs, Issy following him like a duckling. "Once we get him into bed, we will talk about it, love."

Issy lifted the covers while Bartok laid him down. Issy tucked him in, cooing as Harry cuddled into the fleece she had bought Bartok for his office. She'd selected it to add color to the dark browns her mate favored. She giggled at the fact he had become attached to it when he couldn't see it. Oh, the irony. Harry's face was cuddled into the fiery pattern of a Phoenix's feathers.

Bartok lead Issy over to the couch, pulling her into his side so they could talk. "He said yes to us adopting him; he was a little overwhelmed. He'll be okay, he just needs some rest."

"I'll stay here with him in case he wakes up, I've already got my homework spread out." Issy motioned to the piles of paper spread atop the coffee table but she was still staring at the bed. She was obviously worried since she hadn't realized Bartok said the young sub wanted to become part of their family. He knew if she had she would squeal with joy.

Bartok gently took her face in his hand, turning it so she would look him in the eyes. "Issy, he said yes," He said once again. She froze up, eyes going wide and a grin slowly spreading across her face. She launched towards him, climbing into his lap and pressed her face into his chest, happy little screams muffled against his shirt.

She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears, her voice was soft, completely in awe. "That means I'm a mummy… I'm a mummy!" She looked back over to the bed, studying the line of Harry's body and the rise and fall of his chest. "We're going to be parents," Issy turned back towards Bartok, causing him to chuckle. He kissed her soft lips, still slightly opened in wonder.

"Yeah, little one, we will be great parents. Now go do your homework, I've got to start the paperwork." Bartok kissed the top of her head, taking in her scent before lifting her and placing her back on the couch.

* * *

Harry's bedroom door opened, by Lyle holding potions and a snack in his hands. He wasn't surprised to find Issy asleep at the foot of Harry's bed since she hadn't yet come to bed. He shook his head and smiled, placing his load onto the bedside table before shaking Harry awake. Harry was snuggled into the soft red blanket that Lyle noticed he must have got from Bartok's office. "Come on champ, wake up for just a bit," Lyle whispered, rubbing Harry's back. The boy rolled over, yawning widely.

"Lyle?" Harry muttered, voice rough with sleep.

"Yes champ, now come on, wake up. I've got some banana pudding for you after you take your potions." Lyle coaxed, trying to bribe the young boy to wake. Harry popped up, still half asleep, ears twitching cutely. Lyle laughed softly at the boy's extreme bedhead.

"You know, if you grow your hair out it would be more manageable." Lyle flicked some locks around. "I had to grow mine out for the same reason."

"Mmmmm, can you help me to the loo," Harry mumbled. Lyle lifted Harry and carried him to the bathroom so he didn't risk waking Issy who was muttering in her sleep about cupcakes and golf.

Once Harry was finished Lyle helped him sit up in the bed. "Here are your potions." Harry downed them in one gulp each, face scrunching up and tongue sticking out once he finished, handheld out expecting a drink.

After he took a few sips Lyle took the glass back and then handed him the pudding. Harry hummed contentedly as he ate. He was still half asleep and would smack his lips together every few bites. It was something that Lyle would have found disgusting if anyone else was doing it but he couldn't help but find it endearing. Once Harry was finished, the rest of the glass of juice chugged, Lyle tucked him in. He leaned over, kissing Harry's forehead as he wished him a good night.

"Ok daddy," Harry mumbled, trailing off at the end as he fell asleep.

Lyle knew that the boy wouldn't remember it tomorrow but his heart swelled at the words. It was something he would hold close. He went to pick Issy up, laying her next to Harry. They were soon cuddled up together, Issy holding the younger sub protectively.

"Tiptop," Lyle whispered, the elf popping up next to him silently. Lyle looked down at her, her normally stoic face twisted into a devoted smile. He couldn't believe how much this young sub had changed their family in less than two weeks. It seemed impossible, but it was no less true.

"Will you get my camera?" Tiptop looked up, nodding before popping away.


	5. Part of the Family

Issy woke the next morning, Harry wrapped around her like a koala. She pulled him in tighter, pressing kisses to his messy hair between contented giggles. She had always wanted children; she was the youngest of thirty-eight children by twenty years. Her parents had always said she was their happy accident. And now she had one of her own.

Harry was a wonderful child, and she was delighted to call him hers.

She couldn't wait until the day he trusted they were honest in their affection and love.

The light coming through the window showed it was around nine. Issy gently pried Harry's limb from her body, replacing it with a pillow he buried his adorable face into. She ran a hand over his cheek before crawling out of bed, stretching, back popping as she did. Sprawled out on the couch was David who had a thick book in hand. He peeked over the top, expression soft as he greeted her.

Issy used the restroom, splashing water over her face, before laying across David's body. He just propped the book atop her head before continuing reading. Issy drifted in and out of consciousness, listening to the steady heartbeat of her mate as if it were a lullaby. After a while David placed the book on the floor, running his hand through her long white hair and over her back.

"How did you sleep, darling?" David asked, voice still hoarse with sleep.

Issy raised her head, pressing a kiss to his slightly chapped lips. "Fantastic."

David smiled, continuing to pet her, peppering kisses across her face. "Bartok finished the paperwork last night so we're going to visit Helix today to schedule the meeting. All that's left is for all of us to sign them in front of the Goblins. Then you will officially be a mother," David twinkled. Like all the other clan members he knew that was Issy's biggest dream. While some ignorant people might assume this dream was only born because she was a submissive they would be wrong. There were subs who, while they needed to bond, never had sex let alone wanted children. But for Issy, it was more than just a biological drive. Since she grew up as almost an only child she had been rather lonely. Sure her family adored her but all of her siblings were much older, already bonded and building families of their own. It wasn't until she started primary school she had true companionship. She flourished under the friendship and took up the role of the protector in her friend group. David had seen photos from that time and he still couldn't imagine little Issy, who was much smaller than most of her friends, standing up too much bigger children to protect those she called hers.

Ever since then she wanted a large family, she wanted to never be alone again and to shower the abundance of love she had onto others. David knew that Harry would be good for Issy after all that happened four years ago.

"Lyle suggested Harry grow out his hair last night. I don't think he will remember it from what Lyle told me so it might be worth bringing up again," David mentioned, hands still moving and absently, twirling a lock around his finger.

"He would look adorable with long hair!" Issy exclaimed. "I'll talk to him about it when he wakes, I am sure it will aid in managing his hair. After the meeting at the bank, we should go shopping. We have things for infants but he needs toys, and books, and clothing. Oh, and maybe we should get him a kitten! Do you think he would like that? A kitten I mean. Would Bartok let me get him a kitten?" Her excitement building with each word.

David chuckled, chest rumbling under her. "I don't think a kitten would be a good idea at the moment and if he got one, he would probably like to pick it out himself. We should get Harry up so he can have breakfast. Why don't you gather everyone up and I'll get Harry ready for the day?" David suggested.

Issy cheerily gave him another kiss before skipping out of the room. David approached Harry's bedside table, pulling out his morning potions along with his ear drops.

"Harry, buddy, hey," David whispered as he rested a hand against Harry's hip and shook. Harry had somehow worked his head under the red fleece in the time since Issy left the bed. The young sub popped up like a daisy, ears swiveling and mouth opened with drool down his chin. "Just lay your head in my lap so I can give you your ear drops," he continued to whisper. Harry obeyed, flopping down with a huff.

After they used the drops and potions taken, David helped him up and into the restroom and then with getting dressed. When they were finished David lifted Harry into his arms, Harry's thin chest against his own larger one and Harry's face pressed into the joint between his neck and shoulder. "All right, bud, let's get down to breakfast and see who Issy raised from the dead. Good thing you're not any heavier, I'd probably put out my back. Go easy on your old man." David joked, Harry hid his giggles in the older man's dark olive toned neck.

They greeted everyone in the dining room, Issy pulling out the chair next to her as David placed Harry down. Lyle was sitting on Harry's other side with everyone else on the opposite side of the large bocote wood table.

Bartok and Anna were both reading the daily newspapers from both Britain and Terradore, a large cup of coffee and tea in their hands, respectively. Lyle was flipping through a packet of information for work. They all put their papers aside when Tiptop produced the food, they all thanked her but Harry's affected her the most.

"Good morning, sweetie, I hope you slept well. We have toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast." Issy chirped, already piling food onto both of their plates. "Would you like some cheese on it?"

Harry beamed, he loved dairy products ever since the first bite of ice cream during the welcoming feast during his first year. "Yes, please, cheese! Can I have milk too?"

Anna smiled at the young sub, "Yes, the more milk the better."

"From what I hear, it will help you grow some. Can't have you being so short for life!" Lyle teased, ruffling the boy's hair and ears as he did. Harry's face scrunched up, he hated when people called him short. Of course, he knew it was true but he couldn't help but feel weak whenever someone brought it up.

"Hey!" Issy yelled, grabbing Harry and pulling him into her chest as she did. "He's not short! He's just a child! I bet you were short when you were his age too!" Harry was having a hard time breathing through his uncontrollable laughter. "You be nice to my son, or you will feel my wrath!" Harry loved her. He went still at the thought, body going limp in Issy's arms.

His mind was reeling. This was the first time he could ever remember loving someone. At least recognizing that it was love bubbling inside of him, trying to boil over. Harry pulled back, unseeing eyes looking over at where he imagined Issy's face to be.

Love.

And then he realized that he loved all the Claremores. Harry's mouth dropped open, sure he had accepted the adoption but that had been more about escaping the Dursleys than anything else. He loved them and wanted them to love him. But most of all, it was about trust. Harry trusted them, somehow they had worked past all the barriers he put up to protect himself.

Harry wanted to cry, wanted to scream, wanted to run and protect his heart. But instead, he just looked down and grinned.

They had shown in so many ways already that they cared for him. That they may even love him too. For the first time in his life, he felt optimistic. Even when he got his Hogwarts letter and through the years, he still always held doubts, worried that at any minute he would be expelled, wand snapped and stuck once more at his relatives. Sirius' offer too was tainted in this way, distressed that anything he might say to the man would reveal to his godfather that Harry was a freak. That the older man would take back the promise of safety.

But with the Claremores that anxiousness wasn't there.

After his mini-crisis was over, fully accepting what was now his truth, he hugged Issy and then Lyle. Would have hugged them all if there wasn't a table between them. Issy handed over a glass of milk and coaxed him into eating. He enjoyed the fluffy cheesy eggs and toast with jam.

"So today, Harry, we will go to the bank to have the Goblins witness and officiate the adoption. That is if you haven't changed your mind, which is perfectly okay if you do." Bartok's voice was reassuring, deep and calm.

Harry nodded, mouth full of food, to let them know he still wanted to be part of their family.

Issy spoke up again, excitingly bouncing in her seat. "Bartok can deal with all the boring financial stuff later, but after the adoption, we will go shopping! I can't wait! I will get you a bunch of cute clothing!"

Harry gripped the hem of his shirt, even though he loved them he still wasn't comfortable with the thought of money being spent on him. But he also felt that saying no would be rude.

"All right, Issy, calm down. Why don't you help Harry take his potions, while I go grab the paperwork? We can meet in the floo room." Bartok stood to leave the room, kissing the crown of Harry's head on the way out, causing a blush to cross Harry's face.

Bartok gathered his leather briefcase, double-checking that he had all the needed paperwork and that all the T's were crossed and I's were dotted. He couldn't help but take a few steadying breaths. Bartok was both nervous and excited, but he knew he had to be the calm one for now. Inside he was just as excited as Issy, all of his mates were, but he didn't think Harry would have been as accepting of the eagerness from him. Issy was always enthusiastic so this behavior from her was to be expected. Bartok didn't want to frighten the young boy, so he had to keep his calm.

Everyone met in the floo room, Anna bundling Harry up in an overcoat even though it was still very much summer. Bartok and David shared a look, both amused. "We will go to the Terradore branch of Gringotts, I don't trust our trip to go smoothly if we were to go to the British one. We will be shopping there anyway, so no need for two trips."

Issy bounced on the balls of her feet, "Oh, Harry, you're going to _love_ the markets! I can't wait for you to see it for yourself!"

Lyle laughed at her, but they all knew it was just in good fun. Bartok scooped Harry up bridal style, following David and Anna through the floo, knowing Lyle and Issy would soon make their way through.

Bartok stepped confidently into the white marble Gringotts receiving room, nodding respectfully at the armed guards. Once they were through the door Bartok put Harry down, keeping his body between the young boy and any weapons. The clan gathered behind him at the closet teller desk, all waiting patiently for the Goblin to acknowledge them. When they finally did, putting his quill in a holder and gazing at them with piercing black eyes.

"Greetings, may your gold ever flow," Bartok stated.

The Goblin gave him a sharp-toothed smile, "And may the blood of your enemies flow down your claws young dragon. How can we be of assistance this morn?"

"We seek a meeting with my manager, Helix. We were hoping he can spare some time to see us this morning," Bartok replied.

The Goblin nodded jumping down from his stool, after putting away the paperwork he had been working on into a secure box. "Follow me, Helix has no appointments today but mail beforehand in the future." The Goblin didn't even look back as he marched away, the clan members following quickly. Lyle lifted Harry, throwing the boy over his shoulder, causing the young boy to wiggle and laugh. They walked through the twists and turns of the Goblin nation before coming upon a pair of grand doors.

The Goblin they followed rapped on the door, then announced to the account manager that the Claremore clan requested a meeting. The door opened smoothly, pure gold handles glittering in the crystal chandelier's light.

Helix was sitting at his desk, stacks of paper covering most of the surface and weapons mounted on the walls. With a sweep of his elongated fingers, the paperwork flew into the filing cabinets on the left side of the room. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose before finally speaking while gesturing them to take a seat, more chairs popping up in front of the desk as he did. "Ah, the Claremore clan, I was not expecting your presence today. How may I be of service?"

They all sat down, Harry placed in Anna's lap, for the time being, letting Bartok speak for them. "May your vaults forever be full. We have a few things we would like to accomplish today. First, we would like you to officiate the adoption of young Harry to the Claremore clan. He is a ward of our clan currently. After that, we would like to place you in charge of his vaults and assets. I do not know who his current finance manager is; however, we would feel safer if they were under your care. I also fear what the British Ministry might try to do if the vaults remain there. I am prepared to attend to any issues, if discovered, with you and to dedicate my time to making sure his finances are in order." Bartok pulled out the stack of documents from his briefcase, handing them over to his manager.

"Mr. Claremore, if you would, please, introduce your ward?" Helix prompted as he shuffled through the documents. He did, however, stare at Harry curiously over the top of the paper, head tilted slightly to the side.

"Of course, Helix, if I may introduce Harry James Potter," Bartok said as Harry blushed from his seat between Anna's arms.

The Goblin's head snapped up, rapidly scrutinizing Bartok's face for truthfulness before examining Harry. Bartok was relieved Harry had yet to regain his sight, Helix had a penetrating gaze that even he struggled not to fidget under.

"Bartok, you have brought me an heir of a most ancient and noble house? You do not know the profit and standing such an account would grace me with. You honor me with your confidence in my ability to oversee the accounts and to assure your ward profits from this arrangement." Bartok barely noticed it but Helix swallowed thickly. Goblins prized their own abilities to bring both their clients and themselves profit. So for the Claremore clan to show such trust meant a lot to him.

While creature clans usually had a good amount of money, they had nothing compared to the ancient houses. Since most families that old were wizarding and only had a few children, they didn't have to spend as much money as creature clans. So through the years, they amassed larger quantities of gold. Creatures used to have such wealthy lines, but after The Purge, almost all of the excess money families had was donated to rebuilding their world. And after that the birth rates had increased by far, leaving no one the ability to build the wealth they had once held. The only creature families that had any form of notable wealth were those with large bonding circles since everyone had the ability to build upon everyone else's incomes. Or those who were part of the royal families. The royal families were all part of the elder council, but they didn't receive wages for that, what they were rich in were artifacts. They were the protectors of each race's history. They made sure the old traditions and cultures continued while still allowing for the integration from others and innovation. They were the bridge between the future and the past. And while they still occupied their traditional castle, those were more used as learning and cultural centers.

So for their family to so readily offer Helix, a rather low-level account manager, the offer to take over what was sure to be a large account showed their trust in him. Helix offered a strong nod before getting back to business

"Let's get the process started then. Young Potter, the adoption is solely your choice, and while it would be an honor to be your account manager, I want to make sure this is your choice." Helix remained professional. Like all creatures, children were infinitely precious to Goblins. So Helix would do everything in his power to make sure that this was what the child wanted. He wasn't worried about the Claremores being anything but loving caring parents to the young one.

Harry spoke up, voice soft, "Yes… I want to be part of their family."

Helix pulled out an inkwell and quill. "First, we will need to verify your identity through blood parchment. Mr. Potter, I need to have Mr. Claremore make a small slice on your fingertip and then press it to a piece of paper." Helix explained, handing a dagger over to Bartok while Anna directed Harry over to his lap. Harry perched on his knees, holding out his hand trustingly. Bartok kissed his forehead before gently slicing Harry's finger, guiding the bloody tip to press onto the center of the parchment.

The parchment glowed, blood swirling into words before settling back down. Before Bartok could get a good look at it Helix snatched it from the desk and glanced over it, his grin growing wider, showing more pointed teeth, as he went to read it. Anna reached over to heal the tip of Harry's finger, kissing it to make it all better.

Helix reached the bottom of the page and looked up, "The Blood Line test confirms you as the Potter heir and more." Helix handed over the parchment for Bartok to read.

Full Name: Hadrian James Potter

Father: James Charlus Potter

Mother: Lily Marie Tenko - Adopted name Evans

Heir to Paternal Lines: Potter, Peverell

Heir to Maternal Lines: Le Fay, Ravenclaw

Named Heir: Black, Gaunt, Lupin

"His mother was adopted?" Bartok asked, shocked by the results.

"What?! My mother was adopted?" Harry exclaimed, turning towards Bartok, eyes confused but unfocused and ears laying back flat. Bartok rubbed soothing circles into the boy's back, realizing he had read the paper out loud.

Tears were welling in the boy's eyes and Bartok didn't know what was wrong or how to make it better. All he could do was pull Harry into his chest, holding him tight in hopes to protect him from the world. Bartok looked up, glancing around the room at his mates first, wondering if any of them knew what was going on but they all seemed just as confused. He then peered at Helix but the Goblin just looked uncomfortable with all the emotions. Though he looked like if he knew what caused the young subs distress he would gladly smash it with the war ax upon his wall.

Harry couldn't help sobbing, wanted to sink into the warmth and protection Bartok offered and to never leave. His entire world had just shattered. When he had begged Dumbledore to let him stay during his second year Dumbledore had explained that his mother erected blood wards around Privet Drive so that in case anything happened to them Harry would at least have protection for the Dark Lord and Death Eaters. Harry had asked if they could move the wards but Dumbledore informed him they were anchored in Petunia, Dudley, and Harry's shared blood, and that was the reason Harry grew up there and could not leave.

But now that all came crashing down around him like a tsunami. It was all a lie. Harry wanted to shut down, wanted to give up. Once he found out about the blood wards, that fact had comforted him, his mother was still protecting him beyond the grave. Knowing her magic lingered there gave him solace during the many beatings.

His face was gently lifted from its hiding place. A forehead pressed against him and large hands cradling his head. "Oh, Harry, I am so sorry," Bartok whispered, waving off the rest of the clan.

Harry just sniffled, lungs feeling tight.

Anna handed Bartok a calming draught from her ever-present healer's bag. Harry sipped it down when handed it, calming down so much that he lay silently on Bartok's chest. They all sat a while in silence, both to collect themselves and to allow Harry to have the calming draft set in completely.

It was Helix who restarted the conversation. "Yes, it seems that the late Lady Potter was adopted."

David spoke up, "Tenko, that's the name of the royal Kitsuné clan."

Helix nodded in confirmation. "They never leave their realm and since Lady Potter would have also been Lady Le Fay if she took this test, I assume she was a descendant of Morgan Le Fay and Jirou Tenko. Morgan discovered the portal to the Kitsuné realm during her travels, where she fell in love with Jirou second in line to the Tenko throne. They were wed after only four months and then traveled back to her home in modern-day Cornwall. While she and her eldest daughter kept their last name, the rest of the family took the Tenko name. Their family was known for having many children, unfortunately, a large number died during the Purge. Once they found out what was happening, they were quick to raise arms. But the worst thing was the whole extended family lived in a town they had built themselves. Only Bartok is old enough to remember but 36 years ago a fire blazed out of control. Nearly 1000 people lost their lives that night, it is still a mystery how the fire started and why it couldn't be stopped. You would have heard of it by the name, Tintagel Castle Fire."

The whole clan nodded, remember it from their History lessons. And while it had been a horrible tragedy, to everyone but David, who was an avid history buff, didn't think of it more than during school. But now they were all going over the main points in their head. It mattered, they wanted to tell Harry about his family history, even if it had just become more tragic than before.

"So I still have a family?" Harry whispered from his place against the strong chest, everyone was shocked, they thought he fell asleep.

Helix spoke up before anyone else could. "While your mother bore the Tenko name there hadn't been a Tenko married into the family since Jirou himself. That is why your mother wasn't a Kitsuné, the creature blood had been so diluted it was rare for members to go through an inheritance. They did, however, marry into many other creature bloodlines. Though all your direct family on your mother's side died in the fire, it was believed no one in the family survived but your mother proved otherwise."

Harry's face fell and before Bartok could wrap him back within his heat Issy plucked the boy up, fed up with not being able to touch him in his time of need. "Oh, Harry, baby, I am so sorry you had to find out this way. If you want, we can go pay respects at graves."

Harry nodded, potion not allowing him to shed the tears he wanted to. "Can we go to my… to my parents as well?"

They all looked around shocked, they knew the abuse was bad, but to not even give Harry the chance to meet his parents just made them all hate the Dursleys more.

"Honey, of course, we can," Issy reassured the boy, tears brimming in her own eyes, and hand clenched into Harry emerald green shirt.

"Can we… Can I… Can I become part of your family now?" Harry asked, nerves obvious in his voice and manners. Clearly, he wanted to change the topic but still wasn't confident in the fact that they truly wanted to adopt him.

Lyle was the one to speak up, tone fond and eyes soft. "You are already part of our family, you're our son, this is just to make sure the world knows it too."

For the first time in their acquaintance Bartok saw Helix smile, not a feral smile the Goblin gave when he scented blood or when he was about to make money, but one that expressed only fondness. It was so strange that Bartok wanted to pick up all his clanmates and son then fly them to safety, screaming in terror on the way.

"First, since young Mr. Potter is unable to see, one of you will need to make a vow to magic that this is a basic adoption contract and there are no hidden clauses. After that, I will need all the adults to sign their names in the parent's sections." Helix lay the paperwork out.

"Harry, I just want to ask one more time, is this what you want to do? We will not be upset if you have changed your mind, or if you need more time. All we want is for you to be happy." Bartok needed to ask one more time for both his and Harry's comfort.

"I'm sure," Harry barely waited for Bartok to finish speaking before responding so quickly that his words slurred. His slender fingers were intertwined with Issy's in a death grip. Despite all of this there was a subtle flair of hope and longing in his eyes.

Bartok took Harry other hand, grounding them both while he started his oath. "I, Bartok Enivwenaye Claremore, vow on my life and magic, that this document is to finalize your adoption and only your adoption. It is a standard contract with no subcategories. Its only purpose is to make you a legal member of the Claremore clan as our son. I vow that there is no trickery here and that we want to take care of you to the best of our ability. So mote it be." He vowed, allowing the magic to judge him before settling against his skin.

The fact that Bartok would be struck down if he lied about wanting to take care of him made Harry trust them all the more.

"Is this acceptable, Mr. Potter?" Harry gave a quiet yes before Helix continued. He placed the documents in front of the boy, laying a quill on top of the stack. Helix had the forethought to supply the young boy with a self-inking quill. "You will have to sign a few times, Mr. Claremore will read the document to you so you know what you are signing. Remember young one, you must always read contracts thoroughly before signing."

Bartok read the paper, pointing out the places where Harry needed to initial or give his signature as he went, guiding Harry's hand to the correct places. Once all the adult's signed in their designated places and Helix signed as witness the contract glowed golden before rolling itself up, sealed with golden wax which had the Gringotts crest on it.

"Mr. Potter, will you be taking the last name Claremore?" Helix asked nonchalantly, not wanting to set off the boy again.

Harry went rigid on his perch on Issy's lap, eyes going wild with fear. "I…"

Anna cut him off while Issy hugged him close, her voice that of what she used with worried patients about to have a major procedure. "Harry we understand if you want to keep your last name, it's a link to your birth parents and we would never ask you to get rid of."

Harry relaxed into Issy's grasp, resting back against Issy's soft chest.

"We are sorry we had to rush this Harry. We would have all wanted to wait for this to at least happen after your eyesight returned. We wanted to give you more time to get to know us and be more comfortable in our care. But we as feared for your safety if we didn't do it this soon. The British Ministry is looking for any possible way to get their hands on you and we didn't want to take the risk." David explained why the process had been so rushed. David was always the one in the clan who tried to make everyone have all the information needed to make informed decisions. It was just part of his nature, he couldn't stand ignorance when he could so easily fix it. Bartok was sure David would be the one to take the lead with Harry's education, to help him study and catching up with The Ouroboros Institute of Magic standards if he was behind.

"The last thing I need to ask is if you want me to be your account manager. While you are still underage and your parents technically are the ones responsible for that decision but I would still prefer to have your approval." Helix quired.

Harry only nodded his approval, still emotional too tired to want to speak.

"Then I now pronounce you as Hadrian James Potter of the Claremore Clan." Helix gave a small smile.

Lyle jumped up, hands in the air and excitedly shouted, "It's a boy!" Running around the room hugging everyone before getting to Harry and lifting him up by the armpits, spinning him around and kissing his cheeks over dramatically. But his over the top display worked, having them all laughing and Harry's tail wagging in excitement, his giggles magical.

"And he's the cutest boy in the entire world! My little boy, I'm a mummy," Issy said, tears of joy flowing down her face as she took Harry back from Lyle. Needing him in her arms to confirm this was real. She was only a few inches taller than Harry so it was slightly ridiculous to see her clutching him in her arms like a teddy bear. Harry tolerated it with a smile on his face, tail still swishing back and forth. "I would love if you call me mummy! I will love and take care of you forever, I swear it, Harry."

"I love you too… mummy," Harry whispered back, finally wrapping his arms around her neck.

Helix broke into their sap fest. "I will begin the requisition of your vault at once, and then we will audit the vaults. I will move all the vaults to this branch to make sure they are out of the British Ministries reach. Would you like all the vaults to be combined? You can not do this with the heir vaults since you are only an heir, they both have active lords."

"I know little about how economics in the Wizarding world works let alone how to manage what I have. What would you recommend, sir?" Harry switched over to business mode, wanting to get past all the emotions.

"The only benefit to you is that there will be less paperwork for you to go over monthly if we combine the vaults. You Lordships, which you can claim on your seventeenth birthday, will remain separate so there is no need to worry about that. When you regain your eyesight, I ask you to come back to claim your heir rings and to discuss appointing a proxy to the Wizengamot. Until you do so you only have access to your trust vault." Harry took a few seconds to think it over, agreeing to Helix's suggestion. Figuring that since he knew nothing about how to manage a household doing anything to make it easier on himself was a good idea.

Helix took down some notes, "I will have my people get started on this, I will send Bartok daily updates to read to you, Mr. Potter. As your father, who takes care of your clan's finances, he is to educate you on your economic and political responsibilities. However, young Potter, remember that I am your account manager and my top priority is protecting your interests so feel free to ask me any questions you have at any time."

After a few more pieces of paperwork were filled out, farewells were bid and the Claremores left the bank. It was nearing lunchtime and Harry seemed to be drifting again. Bartok was carrying him when he suggested they stop for lunch.

"Yes we should, Harry is due to take his potions soon. Luckily I brought a pepper-up with me or if Harry wants, he can sleep while we pick out some new clothes for him." They walked over to their favorite small cafe near the bank. Harry settled between Lyle and David which Issy pouted at whispering a 'no fair' under her breath, Lyle just laughed about it sticking out his tongue and ruffling Harry's hair and ears. The latter twitching wildly as they tried to get the fur back in place, but the boy didn't complain just still had a dopey smile on his face.

Harry dozed while they waited for their food to be served. Every speaking quietly about plans to take Harry to the Potter Mausoleum though they first need to find out where it was. They also needed to remember to check the vaults to see if James and Lily sat for a portrait before their deaths. They all really hoped so, so that both Harry and his parents could get some closure. They also wanted Harry to know them and to have them to go to for advice.

Very few people knew the true nature of moving portraits, but through his work, David did and had told his mates about it. The way the portraits worked was through necromancy, and while it was a completely benign form of necromancy had such a bad name that the making of portraits would be outlawed if widely known. People only found out what its true nature was once they died. At that time they had the option to use their portrait or not. Very few people choose not to because with death came an understanding of how it worked and the knowledge it was in no way harmful.

The Peverell family had been known for invention and necromancy above all else and it was the work of generations to make the bridge between life and death. They worked by making a two-way mirror between life and death. Spirits could step in front of their side of the portrait and be seen on the other. Part of the contract to make any portrait was to agree that the person would not try to reveal the makings or workings. When you saw a portrait sleeping the spirit was just away from their side, but since time moved differently behind the veil spirits seemed to always be available.

Their food finally arrived, the smell of freshly baked sourdough making all their mouths water, even rousing Harry from his nap. The bread was sat in the middle of the table, fresh butter and olive dip on the side along with all their entrees.

Throughout lunch Issy babbled on about how excited she was to show Harry around Terradore, slipping in the words 'my son' into everything she could. Each time she did Harry would stop eating his grilled cheese and tomato soup and beamed across the table at her. After they finished eating Harry took his potions without complaint, by now used to the routine. Now content and full he fell asleep in Bartok's arms snoring softly, somehow completely ignoring the noise of the bustling street.

Issy's friend Abigail Ray owned her own clothing shop, Ray Designs, that they made their way to. Issy had mailed her a few days before, and the woman had been eager to help them fill Harry's wardrobe. After they quickly measured the younger sub, they allowed him to go back to sleep in Bartok's lap while he sat on the couch in the fitting room. Anna and Issy informed Abigail on their expectations for Harry's growth on his new diet and potions. The three women debated about color and cut, Bartok tuned them out, only humming when asked a question. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his other two mates sneak out of the store, the traitors.

Adjustments would also have to be made for Harry's tail, but luckily in Terradore tails were rather common. Bartok was relaxing back into the plush couch, running his fingers through Harry's wild locks when he heard Issy say, "Maybe fourteen formal robes?" His head snapped over, giving her the don't you dare stare, but she wasn't paying attention. He had to speak up and give the girls a limit, five outfits, and a few pairs of underwear and one pair of sleepwear. Bartok had to remind her once again that they would come back once his vision returned so he could make his own choices. After her reminded her of that she happily agreed to his terms.

It took the girls about an hour to decide on the outfits and sleepwear, arguing the pros and cons of each set of clothing. Their clashing senses of fashion made the decision hard but they finally agree on basic clothing with the promise of dressing Harry up to their heart's content when he had his eyesight back. Ray promised Issy that she would draw up some special designs to fit Harry's body type and coloring by their next visit.

When they exited the store, carrying Harry who was still fast asleep, in a bridal carry, Lyle and David were leaning against the outside wall. They both had a collection of bags surrounding their feet with the label "Tournikay's Toy Emporium" in screaming neon colors on them. Tournikay's was a large toy store in the area geared towards older children, known for their learning and logic-based toys. Issy laughed at both of them, they had far more bags than she did, and they both always said they hated shopping. "Leave it to you two to sneak off to a toy store!" Issy teased, pulling them both into a side hug.

David blushed but Lyle just grinned unabashedly and crooned, "Had to get our son some toys! All kids need toys. I got him some cool things to play with. But David here-" He pointed his thumb over at his mate, "got him a bag full of books. He's trying to turn our son into a bookworm!" Lyle teased, causing David to blush further, Lyle's pupils when wide with lust. "You know, David, that blush looks superb on you. I always like to redden you up a bit, when we get home I'll have to see how red I can get you." Lyle nipped at David's neck, leaving a pink bruise there, before dancing out of reach over to Anna's side.

"All right, you two, enough now. I have to make a stop at the clinic, I'll see you at home for dinner." Anna gave them all a kiss, Lyle being a little more aggressive than all the rest, and one placed on Harry's cheek before she popped away.

Bartok shook his head in amusement, he always enjoyed the antics of his mates. "Let's get going, we have to get Harry to bed and his new belongings unpacked." All four adults made their way to the public floo, juggling their many bags, in The Prancing Unicorn pub. Issy tumbled her way out of the floo in their receiving room, landing on her rump with Harry's new clothes surrounding her. They all laughed, even Issy, at her predicament. Tiptop popped in without being called, tsking at the mess they had made in her house. She gathered up Harry's clothing, informing them she would wash them and place them in the young boys closet when done.

They all couldn't help but smile at where the House-Elf had disappeared, Tiptop had always been the motherly type, she had been Issy's nurse elf and had watched the young one grow into a strong woman. However, the elf had been most excited to help raise more children; she was devastated after the accident. But now with Harry as part of the family, she couldn't help but dote on the young sub. Issy had sworn that it seemed like Tiptop loved Harry more than her, the House-Elf had popped up, hands on her hips and glared Issy into blushing.

Bartok laid Harry into his bed, the boy waking some as it jostled him. Lyle walked over, a large soft teddy bear in hand. It was black with bright green eyes the same color as Harry's; the fur was silky with a white bow tie around the neck and hearts for paw pads. "Harry, I got you a special gift to celebrate your adoption. I know you love your new blanket and how soft it is, so I got you something you can cuddle." Lyle set the bear in Harry's lap, letting him feel the soft fur. Harry gasped in surprise, stroking the bear while pulling it into his chest. The calming draught had obviously worn off because a few tears dropped into the bear's fur.

"I… I've never had a teddy before. I always wanted one…" Harry croaked around the lump in his throat, swallowing hard. "Dudley had so many, but I wasn't allowed to even touch them. I did once and-" He cut himself off, turning away from where he thought they were all standing. "Thank you, thank you so much… I love it. Thank you, daddy…"

All four adults almost broke down themselves. The young boy's response to something so simple as receiving a teddy bear shocked them all. They still couldn't believe the depths of depravity the Dursley's had fallen to, each new thing they learned about the horrid muggles fueled their anger.

Lyle and Issy crawled into bed, bracketing the boy on each side holding him as he cried himself to sleep, face hidden in the bear's fur. David and Bartok watched on worriedly. They both wish that the Auror's hadn't found those disgusting muggles so they could rip them to shreds themselves. While the three on the bed slept Bartok headed to his office, needing the work to distract him from his thoughts of murder. While David distracted himself by putting away the books and toys and Lyle bought today. The empty white oak bookshelf was soon filling up with information books and fantasy alike, he hoped Harry would enjoy them once his eyesight returned.

All he wanted was for Harry to find happiness and he would do everything in his power to make sure it happened.


End file.
